


midnight when she dances

by Madam_Chauncey



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Angst, Benefactor!Sora, Bubble Bath, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Healing, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kairi plays the cynic, Mild Sexual Content, Prostitute!Kairi, Self-Indulgent, Self-Worth Issues, Sexual Themes and language, Sora falls hard and quick, but nothing horrendously explicit, for obvious reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-04-23 09:23:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Chauncey/pseuds/Madam_Chauncey
Summary: Sora brings home a particularly captivating call girl to stay with him for a one week reprieve from street life. But his attempt to help her gets unexpectedly complicated as he becomes wholly ensnared by the beauty wrapped in protective thorns.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy crime documentaries and this kind of violence has always broken my heart, so I decided to write this as a result. This is part self indulgence and part catalyst to raise awareness for sexual and domestic violence. This is very much an AU, but I've tried to incorporate as much Kingdom Hearts as possible. Enjoy if you can.

_Sunday_

Sora inched down the deserted street in his aging hatchback. It was the first night of his vacation from work and he was terrible at having a clear schedule. Besides going to see Riku, he had no clue how to deal with all the empty hours. He wondered if maybe he shouldn't have just forgotten about using all his accumulated personal days, but he was feeling tired and figured it was as good a time as any for a respite.

Sora just hadn't anticipated feeling so restless.

That's how he ended up going to a late movie and driving home just a bit after 12 am.

There were really no people or cars at that hour in the sleepy town on a quiet Monday night. Or so he thought.

Sora looked down the beam of his headlights and craned forward behind the wheel, seeing a small dark shape lumbering down the sidewalk in the inky night. Curious, he slowly nudged into the far right lane close to the lone shape. Sora's headlights and a streetlight beam cast illumination over the figure, and Sora could see it was a woman.

There was a strange gait about her walk, and she looked to be wearing an over-sized jacket to keep warm in the crisp fall night.

Sora knew it wasn't safe to approach strange people on the street at midnight, small framed woman or not, but he didn't like the idea of her wandering around alone.

It didn't take him long to pull alongside her, easing slowly to a stop. Almost like it was routine, the woman surprisingly stopped and approached his passenger side door.

Sora pressed a switch and the opposite side window rolled down so he could speak to the girl.

She glanced up at him from under the streetlight and his breath hitched in his throat. She had striking violet tinged cerulean eyes, but on the apple of her cheek just a little farther down was a blooming, ugly bruise. Her dark crimson hair was mussed and there was a split in her full bottom lip.

The girl, who looked about his age, didn't seem to be under any direct distress and appeared almost calm, but Sora was shocked. He cleared his throat, trying to summon words even though he wasn't even sure where to begin speaking.

"Thirty for an hour." She spoke softly, but her strong stare held his captive. "It's normally fifty but I'm taking into consideration the… damage."

_Damage? What was she – ?_

And then it hit him. She wasn't an ordinary girl walking down the street late at night. Her rough appearance and the business-like way she sauntered to his car cast more light on the situation than the bulb burning five yards above them did.

Oh God. She was selling herself, and she thought he was buying. And at a discount for  _damage_. It was obvious someone had roughed her up, and he could tell by the freshness of her injuries that it hadn't been very long ago. He couldn't see much of her from where he sat inside the car, but he could tell she was very small and slight. The thought of some sleazy john beating on her small frame made his stomach knot. He didn't want to be grouped in with anyone like that.

"Miss, you've got the wrong idea, I d-don't—" he began to stammer, the overwhelming sadness of the situation cutting him to the bone.

The girl licked the swollen cut across her bottom lip and began to pull away from the window. Panicked that she was going to slink back into the darkness in her condition, he babbled the only thing that was guaranteed to get her to come with him.

"Wait, I'll pay you the whole fifty and we go back to my place." Sora backpedaled as he reached over and opened the door, a silent invitation.

Her violet flecked eyes darted from him, to the ajar door, to the deserted street, as if weighing her options.

Sora tried his best to look non-threatening, not that he thought he gave off a particularly intimidating aura anyway. He didn't know much about working girls, or girls at all, but Sora knew she was battered and probably leery. And if she was taking a customer so soon after being assaulted, he knew she must also need the money pretty desperately.

He was brought back by his passenger door opening the rest of the way and the tiny frame sliding into the seat, shutting it once she was securely inside.

Sora worked at not letting his relief show too obviously—he didn't want to raise any red flags for her.

He rolled her window back up.

"I don't usually go home with a trick." she whispered. "You sure it wouldn't be better to just park somewhere and I'll take care of you in the back seat? I know a good spot."

Sora's stomach lurched as a singular SUV drove past them. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard. She was speaking so matter-of-fact about sexing him in his car, like she was commenting on the color of the upholstery.

"I'd really prefer to do this back at my place." he insisted, trying not to let his voice crack and give away how out of his element he was. She looked uneasy as they pulled away from the curb.

"I… I don't have any condoms with me here." he formulated a lie, trying to come up with a suitable explanation for pulling her from her comfort zone.

She licked across her lip wound again. "For you, an extra twenty and you don't have to wear one."

A chill burrowed up Sora's spine. He wasn't sure if her offer was to garner her more money or to try and persuade him not to take her home. Either way, he felt nauseous at the implication that she didn't always use protection with the strangers that bought her body, but he guessed she wasn't always in a position to demand such things. He was somewhat comforted by the fact that she'd said, ' _for you.' M_ aybe this was an unusual case.

Sora fixed his attention on the road. "No thanks. The condom is non-negotiable."

The working girl seemed to relax at that for some unfathomable reason, leaning back into her seat. Sora didn't live very far, but the silence between them was suffocating.

"So… what's your name?"

She didn't look over at him, only toyed with the zipper of the too-big men's jacket she was wearing. "That's not usually something I tell a john I don't know, but you've been nicer than most…"

She trailed off for few moments before continuing. "I'm Kairi."

"Kairi…" Sora repeated quietly. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. "I'm Sora."

Kairi didn't respond, and the rest of the car ride passed in silence.

* * *

 

Sora pulled onto the concrete parking pad in front of his small home and cut the engine. Kairi waited until he had stepped out of the vehicle before she wrested her own door open. Sora met her as she emerged from the car. He locked the door behind her before shutting it.

Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder as he led her up the walk. Sora could feel just how small she was even through the fabric of the worn faux leather jacket she was wearing. She seemed fragile, vulnerable, and he felt the inexplicable urge to protect her.

Kairi stood silently as he unlocked his front door, opening it for her to step into his house, which she did. He followed behind her, tossing his keys into a small glass bowl that sat upon a small table near the front door.

He secured his home behind himself and he saw her blue-violet eyes stare at the engaged bolt lock like it was a ghost. Unsure how to proceed under the false pretense he'd established, he walked across the room to flip the light switch while he wracked his brain.

When he turned back around, Kairi had already shucked her over-sized jacket and it pooled around her thin ankles. She wore no shoes, and was dressed in a tiny, revealing lavender dress. The straps hung loose from her shoulders, revealing a tease of her modest but pert breast.

Sora's mouth went suddenly dry as she sauntered over to him, pushing him slowly backward. The back of his knees hit the chair and he fell into it. Kairi wasted no time in hitching the already short dress even farther up her thighs, crawling onto his lap to straddle him.

"Where do you want me?" she purred, playing with the collar of his button up shirt.

Sora froze in shock as her hands roved over his chest. He tried pathetically for a few long moments to speak, but his tongue felt too thick and clumsy to form words. It wasn't until he felt her fingers graze across his belt that he finally found the ability to do  _something_.

He clapped his hands over her wrists and pinned them firmly against the arm of his recliner.

"Kairi, listen." he managed, but it came out as a croak. "I have no intention of buying your time. I'm sorry I lied, but—"

Kairi suddenly wailed like a wounded animal, and with an astounding amount of strength, shirked his hold as she clambered out of his lap. She was unable to find footing as she lurched backwards and toppled to the floor on her back.

Sora jumped out of his seat, concern washing over him as Kairi had the wind knocked out of her. He knelt beside her and tried to give her a quick once over to make sure she wasn't seriously hurt, but Kairi fought against his touches, flailing against him with her small arms.

Kairi's face was pure panic and anguish. "N-n no. I c-can't. Not again..." she babbled desperately

Sobs began to rip through her tiny frame, and Sora didn't think he'd been so sad and terrified in his entire life. He noticed she had dark red marks around her forearms and wrists along with her bruised and cut face. Her thighs looked about as bad as her arms.

"Kairi, calm down, it's okay."

Tears continued to squeeze past her closed eyes, and she bit her already damaged lip hard. He made to gently pry her from the floor and take her to the sofa, but she pushed weakly against him, thinking he was going to hurt her. Then, suddenly, she immediately stopped resisting.

Kairi dropped her arms and even mustered some control over the full-body tremors. Sora pulled away from her a little, wondering if maybe she'd finally realized she was safe and was prepared to get up on her own.

Instead of using the newfound space to get up, she merely spread her legs wide, offering herself.

"I promise I won't scream or fight." her voice was so quiet and broken he could barely hear it. "Forget the money; you can have me for free. You can do whatever you want and I won't struggle; just don't hit or hold me down, please."

Sora felt hollow. She thought he'd meant he didn't plan on _paying_ her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. She became limp as promised, not making any noise or resisting at all. He turned on his bedroom light as he entered, gently placing her upon his mattress while sitting on the edge himself, giving her space.

"I'm not going to hurt you." he murmured. "I didn't bring you here for sex. I lied and said I was because I knew you wouldn't get in the car with me otherwise."

Kairi suddenly became defensive, hugging herself and closing her legs tightly. "W-what? What did you bring me here for, then?"

Sora sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, I didn't think that far ahead. Maybe we could start with a hot shower? I can look at your injuries after if you want; I'm a park ranger at the campgrounds across town—I know a good bit of first aid."

Kairi tore her gaze away from him, lips pursed, her bright red bruises painfully prominent. He knew they must ache.

"No, they're just scratches." a measure of strength returned to her voice, and he was glad of it, even if she was lying to him about her pain. He hoped it meant she no longer thought he was going to start assaulting her at any moment.

"You probably wouldn't want a man doing it anyway. How about I take you to the hospital tomorrow for a real checkup?"

Kairi laughed mirthlessly. "Are you serious? You'd be opening yourself up to all sorts of scrutiny. They'd probably assume  _you'd_  done this."

Sora shrugged. "I didn't though, so I have nothing to hide. Your health is more important than my reputation. I'll even take you to the police station if you want to file a report on the lowlife that put his hands on you like that."

Kairi's eyes flashed with something he couldn't identify, then she just curled into herself and looked away.

"You're sweet, but naïve. I'm a whore, Sora. I get hit sometimes. The hospital might care, but the police wouldn't."

Sora squared his jaw. "If that's true, that's bullshit."

He got up, frustrated with the conversation and went to his dresser, rummaging around in the top drawer. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled out one of his white t-shirts with a pair of briefs and thin, grey sweatpants.

Sora went to where she laid on the bed and held them out to her, neatly folded. She looked at him curiously but took the bundle.

"The bathroom is the last door down the hall on the right." he told her. There are fresh towels under the sink. Holler if you need anything; I'll be in the kitchen."

Kairi just stared at him for a moment, like she was uncertain.

"Please?" he asked again. "One hot shower. I know you'll feel better. Sorry I don't have anything besides my clothes for you to wear, but they're clean and warm at least."

Kairi finally nodded and went on her way. He watched her enter the bathroom and close the door behind herself, noticing she was walking with a slight limp.

Sora felt at peace about helping her, he'd never felt better about a decision he'd made, knowing she was safe from monsters for the night. But he couldn't help but wonder what exactly he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

 

Half an hour later, Kairi was still in the bathroom and Sora was feeling some concern. He'd went to the bathroom door ten minutes before and heard the shower running, so maybe she was just enjoying the warm water. It was nearing 1 am, but Sora didn't feel right about not making her something to eat before they went to bed. Truthfully, he was feeling a little hungry himself.

He had no clue when she would have eaten last, but she was so small and battered that he couldn't imagine there was any way she  _didn't_  have an appetite. He decided she deserved something substantial after the night she'd had and went about making the quickest and most filling thing he could think of off the fly.

The jarred marinara sauce he'd found in the pantry was soon bubbling happily away. He'd also found some leftover smoked sausage he'd saved from his excess breakfast the morning before and added it to the sauce since he had no ground beef. The drained pasta had finished first and waited patiently for Kairi to emerge from her shower.

After another five minutes, she did.

Kairi padded onto the linoleum floor of his tiny dining room that led straight into the carpeted living room.

Her dark red hair was still wet but neatly brushed. His white t-shirt swallowed her, falling just above her knees. She had knotted the waist of his sweats around her hips so they stayed up. Sora inwardly winced at the fresh blood-red bruise on her pretty face as well as the light red hand-shaped marks that riddled her small forearms.

He couldn't imagine what she'd been through in the hours before he picked her up.

Sora grinned at her, trying to get his morbid imagination in check, gesturing to the glass of milk and utensils he'd set at one of the kitchen chairs for her.

"I set you a place at the table. I'll make your plate while you sit."

"Listen, Sora, I'm not—"

He shook his head at her, interrupting her before she could finish. "Don't argue, just sit."

She sighed deeply but obeyed.

He plated them both a portion of the piping hot pasta dish and set one in front of Kairi before placing his in front of the seat directly across from her at his modest table.

Kairi stared down at the spaghetti for a pregnant moment before finally lifting the fork placed for her. She pushed a piece of sausage idly around with her utensil.

"Eat," he urged her, sitting. "There's no way you're not hungry."

She speared the morsel of sausage and ate it, making sure he was watching her as she did like she was only doing it to placate him.

"You married? Have a live-in girlfriend?" she asked suddenly after she swallowed her bite, going back to nudging her food around instead of tucking in.

Sora twirled a length of pasta around his fork. "That's a random question. Where did that come from?"

"You have women's body wash and shampoo in your shower."

Sora flushed. "I… uh, I just like women's better. Not a fan of the musty scent of men's shower gel."

"So I don't have to worry about dishes being hurled at us tomorrow?"

There was a ghost of a smile on Kairi's face. God it looked good on her, but something about it made him uneasy. Sora shook his head, realizing he didn't have it in him to laugh at the joke as wonderful as it was to hear her telling one.

"Nope, no wife or girlfriend." he answered finally. "Now, focus on eating."

Giving up, she finally took a good bite of her spaghetti. Satisfied, Sora continued eating too.

"This is… very good." Kairi complimented softly after she'd finished a few mouthfuls.

Sora smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it. Eat as much as you want; I made plenty."

He noticed she ate more quickly and took bigger bites when he wasn't obviously looking at her, but when she noticed him glancing her way, she went back to barely eating at all or pushing food around with her fork.

He had his fill after one helping and focused on finishing his glass of milk, doing his best not to look at her so she wouldn't feel self-conscious about enjoying her meal. Kairi cleaned her plate in the next few minutes after.

"Full? Or would you like more?"

Kairi took a healthy gulp of milk and licked her lips, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine."

Sora wasn't sure if she was being one hundred percent honest, but he got up to put their leftovers away regardless.

"Can I help with anything?" he heard her ask timidly from the kitchen table as he was placing the food in plastic containers.

"Of course," he answered. "I need you to go sit on the loveseat and relax."

Kairi nearly glowered at him from across the room but moved from the table to curl up on his couch.

Sora couldn't help but think her expression more comical and adorable than intimidating. It was hard to believe someone so soft spoken and almost innocent had sex with strangers for money. He was extremely tempted to ask what led her to the circumstances she was now in, but realized they probably had a way to go before she would be willing to tell him.

It was at that moment Sora knew he was already neck-deep, speaking like they were going to have some ongoing relationship past tomorrow morning. Kairi was amenable enough but it was evident she still didn't fully trust him, not that he blamed her, considering how the typical man she ran across probably treated her.

He filled the sink with suds and set about scrubbing the pots and their plates while he mused over everything that had happened since he left the theater earlier that night. He hadn't been lying when he'd told her that he hadn't had any shred of a plan when he decided to take her home with him. He only knew he couldn't leave her walking the streets.

Sora rinsed and put away the clean dishes. When he left the kitchen, he was met with the sight of Kairi sprawled out on the sofa, snoring quietly. Sora warred with himself; he fully intended to give Kairi his bed and he would take the couch, (the second bedroom was more or less a junk room) but she looked so peaceful and content that he didn't have the heart to try and move her for fear of waking her.

Sora took the thick throw blanket he had draped over the back of his recliner and gently covered Kairi with it before shutting off all the lights except the small one over his kitchen sink, so she wouldn't bump into anything in the darkness if she got up during the night.

Yawning, Sora trekked down the hall to his bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and pulled on a pair of sweats not unlike the ones Kairi was currently wearing and climbed into bed.

He fell asleep before his eyes could adjust to the dark room.

* * *

 

Sora woke some time later as his mattress moved under an unknown weight. Blinking in the darkness, he  _felt_  more than he saw someone burrow under the blankets with him. Half asleep and startled, he reached over to his nightstand and turned on the lamp.

The small light illuminated the room in a dim, yellow glow. He rolled onto his right side and was instantly met with a haunting indigo gaze. Kairi looked at him, worrying her bottom lip.

"I don't like sleeping alone." she confessed. "Can I… sleep in here with you?"

Sora's heart hammered against his ribcage. "Kairi…"

"It wouldn't have to be out of the goodness of your heart. I'm not stupid. I can help you relax so you can go back to sleep quicker." she offered, moving closer to him. Her small, warm hand played against his bare stomach, and he smelled the familiar scent of his own shampoo and soap clinging to her skin.

Sora squirmed at her practiced touch. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to her. There was even a depraved part of him that would gladly melt into her touch because it was so easy to look at the beautiful creature in his bed and forget that she was also damaged.

Kairi's finger hooked underneath the waistband of his sweats, tugging them down gently and Sora honest to God swatted at her.

Realization, caution, and curiosity flashed across her face. "You… prefer men? I can't give you everything another man could, but if you close your eyes and paint whatever picture you need in your head, I've been told I'm quite adept at anal play."

Sora nearly choked on his own saliva.

"I don't prefer men." he whispered quickly, trying to sound unrattled, but the crack in his voice betrayed him. "I told you I didn't bring you here for sex and I meant it, but you can sleep with me if it makes you more comfortable."

Sora was trying to remain steady but just the words _you can sleep with me_ in the air between them made his insides rattle. Kairi was equal parts damaged and dangerous to him and he doubted she realized it.

"I don't like feeling that I owe anyone anything." her voice was papery but insistent in the quiet. "You wouldn't let me wash the dishes, so at least let me thank you by doing what I'm good at. You said earlier during your  _performance_  that condoms were non-negotiable. Was that part true? It won't feel as good with a barrier, but I can still suck you off through one."

Sora scrubbed his face with his hands in agony; he couldn't believe she was offering herself to him as  _payment_  for spaghetti and sleeping in the same bed as him. "Kairi, you don't—"

"—But if you don't mind me touching you just a little, I could ride you. You wouldn't have to worry about doing any of the work or my pleasure, you could just lie there and let me make you feel good. Men who are just trying to get off prefer that position anyway."

Sora shivered as she braved touching him again, her soft palm gliding over his chest. A quiet anger bloomed inside at the notion of her being used as some vapid vehicle for someone else's pleasure, but he didn't swat at her this time. He took her small hand in his larger one, massaging her knuckles with his thumb.

"As long as you're under this roof, you don't owe anyone anything." he told her quietly. "You don't owe anyone your body, me least of all. I just want to help you as much as I can."

Kairi still seemed unconvinced, but she at least stopped trying to offer sex to him so she wouldn't feel indebted.

"I have trouble sleeping without someone beside me." she repeated softly, as if she was going to test his previous answer to the same question against his next response.

Sora wasn't sure it was healthy for either of them to sleep together taking into account how different their ideas about sex and intimacy were, but her tone was almost pleading. Kairi's beautifully bruised face adorned with those watery, blue-violet eyes stared back at him through the dim lamp light. She licked her bottom lip, one of her tells of nervousness, he was learning.

"Then my bed is yours." he rasped, already unable to say no to her. Sora was at least glad he appeared to still have good sense enough to rebuff her offers to get him off. In his mind, that would irreparably damage any hopes for a real friendship they might have.

Satisfied, Kairi burrowed into the pillows, pulling the heavy blankets up to her chin. Sora rolled onto his left side and turned off the lamp. He laid there and closed his eyes, thinking it would better help Kairi to see her sexuality as something she owned and not just a bargaining chip if he slept facing away from her.

Just as he was drifting off again, he felt breath on his neck and the sensation of someone curling as close to him as possible without touching.

Their mutual warmth cradled Sora until he was gone to the world again. It turned out to be the best sleep he'd had in a long time.

* * *

_Monday_

He was the first one awake the next morning, feeling suddenly grateful he had the whole week off to spend with Kairi and do all he could to help her.

Sora had rolled over onto his back some time during the night and she slept close to his side, curled into herself almost in a fetal position. The bruises had changed to deep purple and the swelling had went down some, but he couldn't imagine it wasn't still painful. He was extremely happy to see her lying there, though; a small part of him feared she would have gotten flighty during the night and left.

It was an odd feeling not waking up alone, to feel a warmth in your bed that wasn't your own. She slept, face smooth and free from any unpleasant emotion. Her lip looked better but was still a little red and inflamed. Sora's heart ached no less that morning than it had seeing her wounded visage for the first time under the streetlight the night before.

He carefully got up from bed and took a quick shower, wanting to have breakfast ready before Kairi woke up. Again, he had no clue what she liked to eat, but decided pancakes were the ultimate harmless comfort food.

He had the batter mixed and was ladling it onto the hot griddle plugged into the small kitchen island when she emerged from the hall, bright red hair unruly and her sharp eyes still glassy with sleep.

"G'morning, sleepyhead." he greeted her with a smile.

Kairi blinked groggily and watched him prod at the saucer sized dollops of batter as they sizzled away atop the hot griddle. She said nothing, observing him with a peculiar, unfocused look for a few minutes.

"Is this something you do every morning?"

He flipped the pancakes. "Depends what you mean by  _this_."

Kairi sat down at the kitchen table without having to be coaxed. "Getting up early and making breakfast."

Sora laughed a little. "Pretty much. I'd probably make a great housewife. Kinda pathetic, huh?"

Kairi traced the wood grain on the tabletop but didn't laugh at his joke. "It's not pathetic. It's sweet. You'll make a happy home for someone someday."

She sounded deeply unhappy despite the compliment and immediately decided he didn't like it.

"Thanks, but in my experience, women want excitement and adventure. Not pancake breakfasts and men who use Tangerine Bliss to wash their hair."

"Women want stupid things." she mumbled. "I'd much rather fall asleep to the smell of tangerines than some abrasive pine cone smell. My dad used to douse himself in this God-awful aftershave. He smelled like sweat and the woods."

Sora thought it was an odd context to mention her father in for the first time. He was so very tempted to ask her more about herself but thought better of it. He didn't want to push her too hard about her past. It seemed likely that her and her father must not be on good terms, because her mouth snapped shut right after.

The brunette placed the last of their hot breakfast onto a plate and tried to change the subject. "I hope you like pancakes. Maybe after we eat I can take you to the park a few blocks down, if you want."

Kairi clutched at the edge of the table with her hand, pulling herself slowly up. "Listen, Sora. This was a very sweet distraction, but I need to go now. I'm wasting precious daylight."

The man's heart sank. This is what he'd been fearing since he brought her here last night. While he turned off the griddle she quickly slipped into the hallway. He instantly set their would-be breakfast aside and followed her as she turned into his bedroom.

When he entered, she was already shimmying his large borrowed sweats and boxers down her thin waist.

"Kairi, wait." he pleaded, watching her helplessly. He'd been trying to maintain some kind of strength in front of her, but her declaration had knocked all the poise out of him.

His heart sped up as she lifted her hands in the air, his large tee traveling farther up her soft thighs, purplish bruises marring the tender flesh there too. He noticed the bed was neatly made and her clothes from the night before folded delicately at the foot of his bed. Had she done this before coming to the kitchen?

"I need to go." was all she would say to him, hands attempting to pull his shirt over her head. Sora quickly reached out and grasped her forearm to stop her from revealing more skin to him in an attempt to change back into her street clothes

Kairi stopped what she was doing so she could jerk away from him. "I want to leave, so let me go." she insisted.

Sora shook his head. "Please, Kairi, I didn't bring you here to just spend one night."

Kairi sat heavily on the foot of his bed. Sora kneeled in front of her to be more on her level, hoping it would help him communicate with her.

"Then what _did_ you bring me here for? You don't have to go through the trouble of giving me the boyfriend experience if this is about sex. I've already offered myself to you."

Why did she insist on tormenting him so? "I told you, th—"

Sora's words died in his throat as she cupped his cheek. Her touch was incredibly tender. "It's okay, you know. I won't think less of you. I've never had a man turn me down; makes me _want_ to sleep with you, just to know what it's like to do it by choice rather than necessity."

 _Makes me want to,_ she said. It took everything he had not to choke. It made him so desperately sad that he didn't have it in him to feel flattered or aroused. She crawled further up his bed while still lying on her back, legs spread as she patted the mattress between them. Sora made it a point to look at her face because she wasn't wearing any sort of underwear anymore and his oversized shirt wasn't leaving much to the imagination.

She was staging for him, even he could tell that much. He shook his head—a resounding no.

"That's _why_ I want to help you." he repeated. "Stay here with me. You could get off the streets, find a job. Whatever you want."

Kairi pressed her thighs together, retracting from him completely. "You're not my savior." she mumbled. "I'll never live under a man's thumb, not again. I don't want your help."

Sora knew there was a story there by the amount of determination and venom in her voice, one he might never know and maybe could never fully understand even if told. "You can't tell me you like earning a living like this."

Her tiny hands fisted his red comforter. "Do I like getting smothered by heavy, sweaty men who would just as soon choke me if it helped them get off faster? No. But do I like being in control of my life and owing no one? Yes."

Sora then realized she would never agree to just live here indefinitely. He needed to change his tactics.

"I'm on vacation for the next several days." he told her conversationally. "Stay one week. If you still want to leave by the time I go back to work Monday morning, I'll let you go and never try to contact you again."

Kairi pursed her lips. "No, I'd lose business and it would throw me off balance to live a life like this for a week and then go back to the streets. Don't you see?"

Sora obviously needed to take this a step further. He had some cushion funds in his savings; maybe it was time to use them. "Then how about this. I _buy_ your time. 200 dollars to spend the week with me, see how it goes. If you still want to leave Monday, I let you go and the money is yours."

Something strange flashed across Kairi's face. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. You can think of me as a regular john if you want. I get 24/7 company on my vacation, you make money."

He knew it was dangerous to give someone in her circumstances money, but it was the only thing he could think of that would convince her. Sora knew women sold themselves for many reasons, one of the main ones being to afford or obtain drugs, but Kairi didn't seem like one of them. He dealt with junkies squatting at the campgrounds a lot; they were usually strung out, antsy, and erratically violent. They would hurt themselves with 200 dollars to blow on their choice of poison.

Sora couldn't live with himself if that were the case with Kairi, but he couldn't outright ask her if she was a user, either, so he opted to look into her eyes. They were clear and beautiful and she didn't seem like she was itching for a fix.

No, Sora was sure drugs weren't her story.

Kairi licked her bottom lip. "Fine. But since you're wanting to play the good boy card, let's just go ahead and make this arrangement completely sex-free. I don't want you to suddenly change your mind halfway through the week and decide that I'm beholden to let you fuck me whenever and however you want because I'm under your roof."

Sora winced as her sweet voice blanketed around the four-letter word. It sounded out of place, bitter. Kairi had seemed quite amenable to sleeping with him just a couple of minutes ago despite his constant protests; he wondered why she decided to stipulate that now. Maybe she was trying to gauge if he truly had good intentions.

"I need some promise of protection since I'm completely at your mercy until I leave." Kairi insisted as his silence persisted a few moments.

Sora's blue eyes glazed. She still didn't trust him. Why would she trust someone she barely knew?

"Of course. I told you this isn't about sex. You're taking a risk agreeing to this, money or no money. You get a taste of what life can be like off the streets, and I get someone to spend my vacation with and an extra pair of hands to help me clean out my musty shed in the backyard. If I break my word or hurt you in any way, I give you the money right then and you get to leave right away, otherwise you stay the whole week and decide Monday morning whether you want to take the 200 and run or stay here with me and rebuild your life."

Kairi cast her eyes to the ground and was quiet a long moment before speaking. "Why are you so determined to help me? There's really nothing in it for you besides sexless company. The streets aren't even that bad most days. I work a nicer part of town near a lot of business offices. I'm usually treated kindly."

Sora scoffed, reaching for her and brushing his thumb across the bruised and swollen apple of her cheek with a barely-there touch. Kairi jerked in pain as he hardly traced her tender skin, though she tried to hide it.

"That's bullshit and you know it." he replied softly.

Kairi scowled as he cradled the side of her face and pulled her gaze from the floor to look at him, but she didn't resist his touch. "And why should I take you at your word for any of this?"

"You worried about whether I'll actually pay you?" he asked, unoffended. He understood she had no reason to believe he wouldn't rip her off or hurt her. His position was elevated no matter how you looked at it. He wracked his brain for a solution.

"I'll go withdraw the 200 this afternoon." he decided. "It'll sit on my dresser right over there the whole week. That way you know I'm good for the cash. But that also means there's nothing to stop you from taking it and leaving in the middle of the night even if I'm treating you well, just like there's nothing stopping me from pinning you down and beating you like that bastard did yesterday. Mutual vulnerability. That should be enough common ground for the beginnings of trust, right?"

"That doesn't work in your favor at all." Kairi whispered fervently. "If  _you_  break our agreement, I get 200 dollars. If  _I_  break our agreement, that means I took the 200 and left. And even if I  _stay_  the whole week, still I get the 200."

"Not if you decide to live here past Monday morning. That means I get to keep my money  _and_  you have to accept my help." he reminded her, hooking her chin gently with his index finger and thumb, trying to impress upon her what he was truly offering.

Why would she not jump at the chance to make her life better? Sora didn't know her very well, true, but he could tell she was intelligent and well-spoken, almost certainly a high school graduate at the very least. There was no telling the things she went through, the things that had been done to her. Her cynicism probably ran deeper than he would ever comprehend.

Kairi looked at him with incredulous blue-violet eyes. "But you're still a complete unknown to me. From a standpoint of self-interest, what reason would I have _not_ to just leave with the money while you slept tonight?"

Sora hummed thoughtfully. She had a point.

"Mm. None, really. That's why I plan to give you some far more compelling reasons to stay."

Kairi turned her face sharply from him; away from the hand that cradled her cheek.

"You're an optimist." she murmured. It wasn't a compliment.

Sora couldn't refute that, so he didn't.

"I'm also hungry, so let's go back to the kitchen. Your breakfast is getting cold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was orignally going to be oneshot but the narrative got away from me. Let me know any comments or concerns you have.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The week continues on and Sora finds himself more captivated by Kairi despite her secrecy, but not everything goes smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally placed this story at 3 chapters, but I've decided to add a 4th, probably as an epilogue of sorts. To anyone who wanted the continuation, here you go. Hope you enjoy.

_**Monday night** _

As it turned out, the weather didn't hold out long enough for a trip to the park, but Sora braved the sloshing rain anyway and brought Kairi with him to the automated teller to withdraw the 200 in cash like he'd promised her.

It was the collateral of their arrangement and he didn't want to give her any reason to mistrust him more than she already did.

Kairi slinked around his home sulking but quiet. They spent most of the afternoon watching television in the living room together on the sofa, albeit on opposite ends. As used to the closeness and intimacy sex required as she must have been, she gave Sora a wide berth after their formal agreement began.

He made them a light lunch and she ate better than she had previously, and that made him feel more at ease. He had talked a confident game in front of her earlier, but he really was nervous about putting the money within her reach so soon. Not necessarily because of the money in and of itself, but because she really did have no reason not to take it and leave at the first opportunity she had. But as much as he wanted her to stay, he didn't want her feeling trapped either.

For dinner they had the remainder of the spaghetti from the night before. Sora observed she particularly liked the pasta dish and filed that knowledge away for future use. Despite her small size, Kairi had a very healthy appetite when she wasn't pretending like she wasn't hungry.

When they finished eating, he made to start the dishes but remembered their intense conversation earlier. Kairi had offered sex to him in return for his kindness since he'd refused to let her do something mundane like wash the dishes after their meal the night before. She said she didn't like feeling indebted, and as much as Sora had this strange want to dote on her, he knew that probably wasn't what was best for her emotionally.

Sora ran the sudsy water and stood still at the sink for a few long moments. He knew she was still at the table, watching him.

"Uh, Kairi, would you mind helping me with the dishes? You on dry and rinse duty would help me get this done twice as fast."

Kairi wanted to feel like an equal partner. He could do that for her.

She immediately got up and went to him at the sink, retrieving the drying towel that hung from the oven handle.

Sora smiled a little at how eagerly she went about her task; rinsing, drying, and stacking the dishes after he'd finished scrubbing them. They went about their tasks in comfortable silence until Kairi spoke up.

"You missed a spot." she informed him, tilting a freshly scrubbed plate so he could see the elusive bit of crud.

"Oh yeah?" Sora reached over with a heap of suds from atop his dishwater and pressed them to her nose where they stuck to her face like a blob. "You missed a spot, too."

Kairi squeaked and sputtered, too surprised to even wipe her face. "Sora!"

Sora laughed, deciding he very much liked the momentary break in her guard. Like a flower pushing through a crack in the sidewalk.

Not wanting to touch her with his wet hands, he leaned in closer to her face. Kairi froze as he blew gently, the soap bubbles breaking apart and scattering into the air.

"That was adorable. So worth it."

Kairi pouted and Sora swore he saw the lightest shade of pink dust her cheeks as the two of them continued to wash, rinse, dry, repeat.

* * *

 

"I'm sorry about today." he told her from his spot on the sofa after they had finished the dishes and had been watching television for a while after, both full and relaxed. "Kinda boring with it raining all day. The park is nice in the afternoon on a clear day. Maybe tomorrow we can go."

The program droned on in the background, the laugh track playing as he glanced over to where she sat on the couch, still putting more space between them than necessary. Sora tried not to let it bother him even though he felt like they'd had a nice day in each other's company and had earned the benefit of the doubt. He knew that wasn't how trust worked but it was getting late and he really had no idea where he stood with her.

"It's fine." Kairi answered as she shifted in his baggy clothes. "I don't expect to for you to take me out on playdates."

Sora sighed. "Well that's no fun. We don't even need to leave the house if you don't want to. What kind of things do you like to do?"

Kairi gave him a look. "I don't have time for hobbies, in case that wasn't clear."

The brunette silently cursed himself at the poor wording. It really was easy to forget what she was when it was just the two of them like this. They'd had a comfortable time together after the unpleasantness of that morning had passed and now he felt like he was blowing it right at the end.

"I meant before." he attempted to salvage the conversation. "What did you like to do as a kid? You mentioned your dad this morning. Did you two do things together?"

Kairi stiffened, recoiling like someone had struck her. Sora decided that maybe he should just be quiet and stop putting his foot in his mouth.

"Nothing worth talking about."

Yeah, definitely not on good terms with dad. He'd intuited that this morning and yet still blurted out the question because he was fumbling for an acceptable topic.

"Well… I, uh, like board games." he tried to choose his words more carefully. "I have a whole closet full. We can go through them tomorrow and you can pick which ones you'd like to play if you don't want to go out."

Kairi worried her split lip with her tongue again. He was making her nervous. Mentally kicking himself, he fished his phone out of his jeans pocket. It was 10 o'clock. Sora usually didn't go to bed this early, but he was hurting the situation more than helping, so maybe it was best if he gave her some space.

He laid the remote for the television near her leg on the cushion.

"I'm getting sleepy, so I think I'm going to head to bed." he told her. "You have free reign of the place."

Kairi looked up at him, blinking, but nodded her head mutely.

Sora swallowed. God, he really didn't want to blow this after only one day. He shuffled in the direction of his bedroom, pausing at the hall.

"G'night Kairi."

He was honestly surprised when he heard her reply. "Goodnight."

* * *

 

Not even twenty minutes later, Sora laid in the dark, facing the ceiling, replaying their whole conversation on the sofa over and over.

It seemed like every question he thought was harmless was anything but. He really had no clue how to approach someone who had been though trauma in their life like Kairi had, especially considering he really knew nothing of her past aside from the fact that she sold her body for money. Sora wanted to help her so desperately that it made his bones ache, but he felt like he was doing more damage than good.

Maybe this was foolish. He was making things worse. What if he was setting her up for more suffering than she was already enduring? Even in the dark room, he could feel the 200 dollars folded neatly on his dresser pressing against him and couldn't help but feel like he'd overplayed his hand.

His imagination getting away from him, Sora was at the point of getting up and going to beg Kairi for forgiveness when there were two raps at his bedroom door.

"It's open." he rasped.

The knob turned and Sora flicked on his lamp as Kairi entered the bedroom. He sat up against the headboard as she walked in but stopped at the bed's footpost.

"Everything okay?" Sora asked her. She was quiet and hiding her face with her short red hair; his nervousness was washed away by concern.

Kairi wrung her hands out in front of her lap. "I… have one more condition for our deal."

Sora perked up at that, feeling a little better that she was still talking about their agreement. She wouldn't flee in the middle of the night after laying out one more stipulation, would she?

"What condition is that?"

Kairi stepped farther in and sat down near him on the edge of the bed. "I want to sleep in here at night, not on the couch."

Sora scratched his neck. "Yeah, no problem. I was never going to let you sleep on the couch, anyway. I just didn't want to wake you when you fell asleep there last night."

"And I-I… um, I want you to sleep here, too."

Her voice broke a couple times while she laid out her demands. She'd told him all this last night and he thought it odd she was reiterating.

"I know. You told me this already, and I agreed."

Kairi's fingers brushed his coverlet back and forth. "I just wanted to make sure you… hadn't changed your mind after… everything else this morning."

She hadn't met his gaze since sitting down, so he leaned closer to her, stilling her fidgeting hand with his own.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about that. I promise to not break my word or hurt you, okay?" he spoke gently to her.

He released her hand and patted the other side of the bed. "Are you ready to go to sleep now?"

Kairi nodded and crawled over to the other end of his mattress, settling under his blankets. Sora laid back down and rolled onto his right side. He remembered waking up to her crumpled into a fetal position beside him that morning, sleeping calmly but curled into herself.

"Were you comfortable last night? Did you need any extra blankets? Pillows?"

Kairi burrowed into his soft pillows and grey cotton sheets. "No. Your bed is really soft and you give off a lot of body heat… It's nice."

Sora knew she didn't say it to flatter him, but his insides felt embarrassingly gooey, nonetheless. There was still a measure of anxiety about tonight and tomorrow, but her presence beside him was a calming in an unexpected way.

"T-that's good. I'm glad."

Kairi turned on her side to face him as well, and he saw her bite her lip in pain as the bruise on her left cheek smashed against the pillow while she did. The tender skin was darkening in its purple tint, which meant it was healing, but his stomach knotted at the sight anyway.

"Does it hurt very badly? I can still take you to the hospital if you want, just to be safe. I have aspirin too if you want a little relief from the pain."

Kairi declined. "No, I'm okay. The bruises from this kind of thing usually clear up in a couple weeks at the most."

Sora decided then that he hated whoever and whatever had put her in the position she was in now. He wanted to be her shield, her protector, whatever she needed. It was scary how attached to her he was becoming after only about twenty-four hours, and he felt helpless against it. He hoped for his sake it was merely friendship intertwined with deep concern for her situation, because he felt doomed otherwise.

Kairi yawned quietly, which brought Sora back to reality. He really hoped he hadn't been gawking at her.

"Mm, guess we better get some sleep." he said, turning back over to switch off his nightstand lamp. Once the room was pitch black again, he rolled over onto his stomach and nestled into a comfortable position.

Her even breathing was the last thing he remembered hearing before sleep claimed him.

* * *

 

_**Tuesday** _

 

Sora woke up the next morning as the pale early sunlight streamed through his sheer white curtains and onto his face. He was sprawled out diagonally across his bed, still on his stomach.

And he was alone.

Sora's belly filled with molten sadness. He really felt like they'd made a connection yesterday. He'd felt like he screwed up during his line of questioning on the sofa last night, but he at least thought their little talk before bed had smoothed things over.

Sora scrubbed his face with his hands and cursed under his breath.

"Bad dream?"

Sora jerked at the unexpected voice, whirling over to his right where the familiar voice seemed to come from.

And there she was, kneeling by his bedside with those big, emotive eyes.

Sora felt like his soul had rejoined his body. He smiled at her with a shuddery sigh of relief, unable and unwilling to hide his happiness.

"You mutter in your sleep a lot." she said matter-of-factly. "Woke me up about a half hour ago."

Sora swallowed hard, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kairi. I didn't mean to disturb you with my babbling."

The smallest hint of a smile played on Kairi's lips. "It's okay. Only most of it was babbling. You said my name a few times, too."

The brunette groaned, pressing his face back into the pillows and he heard a lush musical giggle. His ears perked up; it was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh.

Sora turned back to Kairi, the desire to see her face in the midst of mirth overcoming his mortification at himself for waking her by mumbling her name in his sleep.

Sitting up slowly in bed, Sora tilted his head to the side. "I think that's the first time I've seen you smile since I met you." he told her. "It looks really good on you. You should let yourself do it more often."

It was Kairi's turn to turn pink and Sora couldn't help but think she looked even more adorable.

"If I have a reason to smile, I will." she murmured.

Sora rolled his neck, easing the stiffness out of it. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

 

The day was overcast and crisp, but it didn't rain. Sora decided that it wasn't the peak day to take Kairi to the park, especially when he realized she had no clothes besides his to go out in. He decided maybe today was the best day to take care of some yard work he'd been putting off since fall had dumped dead leaves of every hue onto his lawn.

Sora didn't particularly want to waste the supposed "fun" day he'd alluded to, but she insisted that she wanted to help, so he let her.

As she roved around the yard with him, raking leaves in  _his_  t-shirt and old jeans that were too big for her, his chest gave a strange flutter. He secretly decided that he certainly didn't mind if she only wore his clothes, though he doubted she would feel the same.

"You okay?"

Sora hadn't realized he'd stopped raking and stood hands grasped over the round of the handle while he watched her work until she called to him from across his backyard.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." he quickly broke his stare and started pulling his rake across the yard again.

His yard wasn't huge, but it was a decent size. It took nearly two hours, but they eventually had all the leaves swept into uniform piles. Kairi held a large black trash sack open while he scooped the leaves into it.

Together the work had went much more quickly than if he'd done it by himself, so he was grateful for her help. She almost seemed to enjoy it, and Sora realized that the mundane house and yard chores he griped about on a daily basis were probably a breath of fresh air for her compared to what she was used to doing normally.

Once their task was completed, he knotted the black trash bags and set them on the curb near the street for garbage pickup.

"This is a nice neighborhood." she commented as he was walking back. "Seems safe and quiet."

Sora looked down the empty street. "It is. I really like it here." he gently nudged her after a few moments of odd silence on her part. "Hey, it's nippy and you've been working hard. Let's go inside and I'll make you lunch."

* * *

 

He made them a light lunch of soup and sandwiches. After they'd eaten, he took her to his closet stacked with board games for her to pick on to spend the afternoon playing. They played a long round of a property acquisition game that she seemed fond of. A few hours later, they were still playing and talking comfortably.

Night fell and they paused for dinner. To prevent having to postpone the game for too long, Sora ordered a pizza. After the quick meal, they continued playing, Kairi eventually winning.

Since Sora had lost the board game, Kairi let him pick what they played next. Because he wanted to keep some semblance of dignity after his crippling defeat, he picked something simple and quick: Go Fish.

He placed the deck on the kitchen table and Kairi took them out and began to deal them. The tip of her tongue was pressed between her lips in concentration as she went about her task, and Sora once again became fixated on that dark purple bruise on her cheek. His fingers twitched like he wanted to bow back and hit something—or rather, someone. The one who had done this to her.

Sora knew that was more or less impossible, but he still couldn't understand it. What kind of monster could hit such a beautiful face? She offered a service, you paid for it, why hit her?

The brunette slipped into the bathroom and rummaged through his medicine cabinet and shook two aspirin out into his hand. He then went back to the kitchen and got a glass of water. He set them both in front of Kairi, who glanced up at him.

"They're for that nasty bruise." he explained. "I don't want it to pain you while you sleep."

Kairi traced the wound ever so gently with one of her slender fingers. "It really bothers you, doesn't it? It is ugly to look at, I guess."

Sora shook his head firmly. "It bothers me because I know you're hurting. Couldn't care less about the way it looks. You're beautiful no matter what."

He pressed his mouth shut immediately after. He hadn't meant the last part to be out loud, even though he'd spent a great deal of time since he'd met her saying that within the safety of his mind.

Kairi reddened again. "You just say whatever is on your mind, don't you?"

Sora sat down at his seat. "Sorry. I have a problem with thinking before I open my mouth. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Kairi licked her lips. "No. It was nice hearing, actually. I'm used to getting called tight, hot… things about my body, how good I feel. I don't know if I've ever been called beautiful."

Sora gripped his knee hard under the table as Kairi took the pause in conversation to swallow the two aspirin he brought her with a large gulp from her water glass. That familiar feeling of deep anger and sadness that always washed over him when she described her life as a prostitute returned.

They started playing their game of Go Fish quietly.

Sora looked over at her while she shuffled through her hand. "Can I ask you a question?"

Kairi brushed a strand of short, dark red hair behind her ear. "You can. I'll try to answer."

"What exactly happened to you that night before I picked you up?"

The red head beside him sucked in a deep breath. "A guy picked me up Saturday, just a few hours before you did. Convinced me to agree to go back to a hotel with him. He was going to pay me for the rest of the night. Most tricks last an hour, two at the most. I would have made a lot of money."

She paused a moment, fingering the corner of her playing cards. "Like I told you, I don't like going home or to a hotel with anyone; it's risky. Depending on the money and the guy asking, I sometimes convince myself it's in my best interest. But as soon as we stepped foot in his room, he went from calm to… aggressive. He pushed me down onto the bed, undressed me, but didn't take a bit of clothes off himself. He—"

Sora could see she was getting more anxious as she continued telling the story. He had a pretty good idea of what probably happened next, so he placed a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, I understand."

Kairi hesitated a moment, teeth deep into her bottom lip. "Yeah, well, I struggled while he held me down and started to have his way. He didn't like that, so he made sure the sex was as rough and painful as possible. He told me he wasn't paying good money for a 'feisty whore who played hard to get.' He covered my mouth so I would stop screaming while he tried to finish, so I bit him… then, well, you can see what happened. After, he just pushed me back out onto the street"

Sora let out a long, shuddering breath. "God, Kairi. I'm so sorry. I'm only glad it wasn't worse."

Kairi traced the rim of her water glass with her empty hand. "I'm surprised I agreed to come home with you right after. But I didn't make any money from the one before you, and you offered my whole price even though I was clearly damaged goods… There was just something about you, I don't know. Something that made me say yes even though I honestly don't trust people in general, especially men. I was desperate, I guess."

A lump set heavy in his chest at her honesty, but he was grateful for it.

"I hope being here has made things a better for you. You deserve to be happy."

Kairi pressed her lips into a hard line. "I don't know that I deserve anything good, but it's… been nice being here with you. The way you're so… normal. Getting up, making breakfast, doing things around your house, going to bed. I'm kind of jealous, honestly."

"You don't have to be." he told her. "This can be your life, too, for as long as you want it."

Her mood became instantly darker at his words. "I haven't decided any of that yet. I thought that was what this week was supposed to be about: me having the space to make a pressure-free decision."

"It is," Sora insisted. "but don't tell me there's a part of you that would ever go back to that life. The decision should be easy."

Kairi frowned. "Maybe for you, but you have no idea what I've been through, how much it takes just to trust you enough to stay here for a week."

"I know! Trust me, I get it… That's why I want you to stay here where I know you're safe and cared for."

Kairi slapped her seven cards on the table, quickly going from frustrated to perturbed. Sora flinched at the sudden mood swing.

"And  _then_  what, Sora?" she snapped. "We get married, live  _here_ , happily ever after?! I don't want to be used to stroke that knight-in-shining-armor complex you have until you get bored and this ends badly."

His own worry became tinged with just an edge of anger. "Th-that's not—!"

"Don't try to deny it." most of the bite had left her voice and her normally sweet tone became stony and controlled. "I've seen the way you look at me. You want something from me just like everyone else, but you're too self-righteous to admit it."

Sora shot up from his chair, the legs scraping against the linoleum floor, incensed at the accusation. A burst of white-hot anger pumping through him, he shoved the chair away and it clattered across the floor, hitting the wall directly behind where Kairi sat. She jerked, a wisp of fear flitting across her violet-cerulean eyes.

He instantly regretted it. He never wanted to see her scared, especially not because of him. She got up from her own chair, visibly shaking, and all the anger left him like it had been syphoned out. Her bottom lip trembled even as she was trying to keep her expression steady, and her beautiful eyes glistened with bubbling emotion.

Sora felt desperately hollow. He tried to reach out to her in apology, but she recoiled from him like his hand was a deadly python poised to strike at her. Kairi didn't run, just wrung her trembling, shaking hands out to keep her nerves channeled.

Dread filtered through him. He had been scared of her leaving him the night before, but it was really nothing like this. Last night he'd just put his foot in his mouth. Tonight, he'd become the brute that she feared and he himself hated.

Eyes focused on the floor, face as hard as she could manage, Kairi spoke. "I want to go to the bedroom. Will you let me?"

Sora's heart felt like it was in his toes. "O-of course. Kairi, I'm s—"

But she flitted into the bedroom like a ghost before he could finish his apology, closing the door behind her. He picked up the chair he'd thrown and set it back at the table. He desperately wanted to go after her and make her understand how sorry he was that he blew up at her, but he also knew it was probably best that they spend some time apart while they both calmed down.

He texted Riku, who still knew nothing about Kairi, asking if Namine still had the clothes she had been trying to get rid of since her pregnancy had progressed. If Kairi was still here tomorrow, he knew needed to get them both out of the house for a while. She and Namine were about the same size normally.

As much as he'd love to take Kairi shopping, he knew he couldn't afford to get her what she needed nor what she deserved. Namine always looked great, so Sora figured it was a good way to help Namine downsize her closet since most of what she wore nowadays was maternity wear  _and_  get some nice clothes for Kairi.

Riku replied with a yes and agreed to bring them over tomorrow at noon before his shift at the city complex. If he thought the request odd, he didn't say.

Riku was a policeman, but when Namine became pregnant he asked for an assignment transfer to something a little safer with more reasonable hours. His captain granted that to him. Sora of course kept his own eye on Namine—he loved her too, after all, but he was glad Riku would be more available to her.

To occupy himself and to keep from worrying so much, Sora set about cleaning up the prematurely ended card game and empty pizza box. When he finished, he sat down on his sofa, scrubbing his face with his hands, replaying the scene at the kitchen table over and over in his head.

" _I've seen the way you look at me. You want something from me."_

Sora wanted desperately for that to be a complete lie, but it wasn't, and that's why it had made him so angry to hear her say it.

It was completely ludicrous to feel this way about Kairi when he hadn't even known her three whole days yet. Sora knew she'd caught him staring at her here and there, but he was hoping his interest hadn't been so painfully obvious. Maybe part of him felt so strongly for her because of her circumstances and maybe he did have a compulsive want to help and protect her, but was that so bad?

Sora certainly wasn't going to get bored of her and cast her away like she accused, but he was guilty of wanting more than just friendship, and the moment she confronted him, he lashed out. He felt no better than the bastard that forced himself on her.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there in a vicious cycle of self-loathing before he became brave enough to go check on Kairi.

Sora tapped gently on the closed door. When he heard no answer or noise on the other side, he gently eased the door open.

Kairi laid on the bed facing the door, grave silent with red rimmed eyes. She'd been crying and he'd never hated himself more than he did in that moment.

She sniffed and rolled away from him. Gathering what courage he could, he pressed farther in and laid on the bed himself, careful to keep to his side of the bed.

"Kairi, can we talk?" his voice came out as a quiet rasp.

Kairi shifted, burrowing deeper into his linens but didn't answer. Sora took a deep breath.

"I know I screwed up. Badly. And I know an apology isn't good enough, but I am sorry. If you're still here tomorrow, I promise I'll do anything I can to earn your trust back. I got angry at you because I knew what you said about me wanting something more from you was true."

Kairi whirled around where she lay to face him again, tears welling. "You hurt me, Sora."

The color drained from Sora's face. Her honesty was like a slap to the face, but he knew he deserved it. "I know…"

Kairi huffed through the fresh tears, but it came out strangled. "I was really starting to believe you were different, even though I knew better. I gave you two opportunities to be honest with what you wanted so you could get it out of your system, but you  _lied_. Did you want me to suddenly feel gratitude towards you for everything and beg  _you_  for it?"

"No! God, Kairi, no. You've got it all wrong."

Kairi laughed mirthlessly. "Wrong? All the wayward glances, the frustration when I called you out about it. What else could you possibly want but for me to crawl all over you like a desperate, sloppy wh—"

"I want  _you_ , dammit!" Sora blurted, unable to bear hearing her finish that thought. "Not sex, not dependency,  _you_! I care for you, Kairi."

Kairi's accusations died on her lips and she squeezed her eyes shut, the tears freely flowing down her bruised cheek.

"I would rather you have said that you just wanted to rail me into this mattress." she choked out through sobs and turned again to face the wall.

Sora thought about the 200 dollars sitting on his dresser across the room. Kairi said that he hurt her, which is one of the things he vowed he wouldn't do. Their agreement was now null and void.

"I hurt you. That means I broke our arrangement." he whispered. "The money is yours and you can leave if you want."

"I could have left with the money last night, too, but I didn't." Kairi hissed, but it was so shaky Sora could tell she was crying again. "Do you  _want_  me to go?"

Sora just laid there, staring at the back of her head. "Of course not. But I would understand if you did." he exhaled. "… Then do you want me to take the couch and give you some space tonight?"

"I just want to go to sleep." she told him, voice cracking. "Go to bed wherever you want."

Sora actually intended to go pass out on the couch so he could give her breathing room, but he was so emotionally exhausted he fell asleep before he could muster the strength to get up.

* * *

 

_**Wednesday** _

 

Miracle of all miracles, she was still there the next morning. He woke up alone again but when he stepped into the living room he found her curled into the corner of the sofa, just staring at the wall.

"Riku is coming by at noon-ish, so you'll get to meet him. He's just bringing me something." he informed her. She actually nodded, letting him know that she heard him, and Sora slinked off to shower.

The weather report forecasted a lovely sunny and 64-degree day, so he felt confident that today would be perfect for their excursion to the park. They both desperately needed change of scenery.

When he emerged from the bathroom fully dressed with his spiky brown hair damp from the water, she still hadn't moved.

"The shower is yours if you need it." he told her.

Kairi finally looked over to him. "Okay. Thanks."

Neither of them spoke a word about what had happened between them last night, and Sora couldn't decide if it was a blessing or a curse. He walked into the kitchen—everything looked exactly the same as he'd left it before going to bed last night. Kairi obviously hadn't made herself breakfast, so he took it upon himself to pour them both a bowl of cereal.

He set the two bowls down at their usual spots at the table. "Kairi, there's cereal for you in here, if you want it."

She got up and came to eat with him in the kitchen, which he was grateful for. After they were finished and he cleared their dishes, she padded off to the bathroom—to take a shower, he presumed.

Kairi eventually entered the living room again, damp crimson locks smelling of sweet tangerines. She sat back down beside him on the couch as a gameshow on television played in the background as silence bloomed between them. Both of them stared at the small LED flatscreen, but Sora wasn't paying much attention to the program and he had a feeling Kairi wasn't either.

"Sora?" she called him suddenly, playing with the ankle hem of the borrowed black sweatpants she wore. "Did you mean… what you said to me last night? About… caring for me?"

Sora turned to her. He was tempted to play it off since she seemed less than happy when he'd spoken the words to her last night, but decided there was no point. Kairi could see right through him, anyway.

"Yeah, I did. I care for you a lot."

Kairi seemed to chew over this knowledge. "… Because I didn't mean what I said… that I'd rather you just wanted to sleep with me. I've never had anyone say anything like that to me before. It was… unexpected. As tempted as I was to leave after you went to sleep, the curiosity about what being cared for would feel like kept me from going."

He couldn't decide if that made him happy or sad. He was relieved because she was giving him a second chance, but the pressure was on. He was dealing with someone who admitted that she had scant experience with love or affection of any kind.

That made him ache to the bone and he was eager to show her what being cared for by another person was like, but that also meant screwing up again would destroy any progress that had been made between them. He couldn't bear that. Foul-ups were unacceptable.

Sora swallowed. "Kairi, listen, I'm s—"

His apology was dismissed by a shake of Kairi's head. "It's okay. I'm ready to move past it, just… please don't scare me like that again, okay?"

"I won't." he promised. He was more ashamed for flinging that chair than he'd ever been about anything in his life. After that conversation on the couch, they made an unspoken agreement not bring up that tense night again.

* * *

 

Sora's doorbell rang around noon, and he rushed to open it. Riku, who was carrying a large box and had rang the doorbell with his elbow, lumbered inside with his large burden. The silver-haired man set it down on the floor, then straightened his back with a groan.

"I have no clue why you wanted a bunch of Nam's old clothes," he told Sora as they stood at the door, "but please put them to good use. She was crying over the loss as I left the apartment, even though she was happy to give them to you when I asked yesterday."

Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I definitely will, Riku. I owe you—"

But he could tell that Riku was no longer listening to him. The policemen had zeroed his gaze somewhere behind Sora. The brunette turned to see what had captured Riku's attention and followed his gaze until it landed on Kairi.

"Hi." Riku greeted her. "I'm Riku."

"Kairi." the redhead supplied. "Sora's told me a lot about you."

Riku folded his arms and gave Sora a dangerous look.

"Kairi is staying with me for a while, Riku." he explained with a shaky laugh.

The silver-haired man fished his phone out of his pocket to glance at the time. "Well, I hate to leave just as soon as I got here, but I have to be to work soon. It was nice to meet you, Kairi. And Sora, please come see Namine. She misses you. She thinks all her friends are avoiding her because she's fat and ugly."

Sora paled. "That's not true. Why would she think that?"

"I know it isn't true and she knows it, too." Riku told him. "But she's seven months pregnant and her hormones are all over the place. So please do everyone involved a favor and come visit, yeah?"

The brunette nodded vigorously. "Of course. Maybe Kairi and I can come by."

"That would be great." his best friend sighed in relief. "Now, would you mind walking me to my cruiser?"

Sora agreed and followed Riku into his yard after he bid goodbye to Kairi one last time. As soon as Sora's front door was shut and they were an acceptable amount of distance from the house, Riku suddenly turned on him.

"What the  _hell_  is a battered woman doing sitting on your couch watching daytime television?!"

Sora recoiled from the tone slightly. "I saw her on my way home from the movie theater really late Saturday. She looked like she was in trouble, so I brought her home."

"And she just  _got_ into the car with you?" Riku demanded in disbelief. After a moment, realization dawned on Sora's best friend and the policeman groaned. "Oh my gosh, Sora… Is she a prostitute?!"

The brunette shrunk under his best friend's heavy gaze. "Yes, but it's not what you think. I want to help her."

Riku groaned. "Jeez, Sora. I know you would never, but don't you understand how much trauma she's probably been through?"

Sora squared his jaw. "Only in bits and pieces. She hasn't talked to me much about specifics. She's just staying with me for a while."

Riku ran a hand through his own spiky silver hair, sighing deeply. "Well, I'll trust you to do the right thing for both of you. And I'm not telling Namine you have a call girl living in your house. I'm leaving that to you."

* * *

 

Once Sora was back inside, he set Kairi to going through the box of hardly worn clothes.

"Who's Namine?" she asked, holding a pretty white sundress up to her front, trying to gauge how it would fit her.

Sora sat at the kitchen table, watching her. "She's one of my best friends and Riku's wife. She's due to give birth to a baby girl at the end of next month."

"Oh wow. That's exciting."

Sora beamed. "Yeah, I'm pretty much going to be an uncle. It's hard to wrap my head around sometimes. But she's been wanting to get rid of these for a while; the fact that she can't really wear them while seven months pregnant gave her a good push. She'll probably just use the opportunity to update her wardrobe when she's back to her normal size. Figured you'd much rather wear this than my stuff."

Kairi continued perusing through the box. "All of this is… really nice. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." he replied. "Just pick out something you like and get dressed. I'm excited to finally go to the park."

* * *

 

The weather really did hold out nicely. It was sunny and breezy. Kairi had chosen a long, flowing baby blue dress, and he got to admire her in it as she paced ahead of him at the park. There was a dog race going on, so they watched that for a long while. After that finished, they decided they were ready for lunch.

There were numerous food carts all through the park, and the two of them nibbled on various things until they'd made a meal of it.

There was one older lady selling bread to feed the water fowl out of her cart and Sora bought a loaf. He and Kairi sat at a bench by the pond and tossed piece of it to all the various birds and ducks that hung around the water's edge.

"This is really nice." Kairi told him, tossing a crust of bread at a particularly fat duck. "I rarely come to the park during the day."

He tried not to let it show, but her comment hit him a little harder than he planned. He knew as someone who'd lived his entire life in this city and from having a cop as one of his best friends that the park was a breeding ground for solicitation at night.

It was sneakily done because it was illegal, but it was done, nonetheless. It was a small reminder of the foreign world she came from compared to him. He felt like it should stifle their connection in some way, but sitting beside her on that bench, he felt like they had some omnipresent connection, like he'd known her a lot longer than he actually had.

Sora hummed. "It  _is_  really nice. And I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

He could hear children playing and dogs barking all around him. Kairi continued to throw food for the fowl into the pond, and Sora loved how at peace she looked. It was almost child-like the way her smile lit up her whole face. He had the good sense to preoccupy himself with the ducks before she noticed him ogling her again.

They were both loathe to part with the hungry ducks and the beauty of the park swathed in deep fall, but they eventually did as the sun started to set.

* * *

 

_**Thursday** _

 

Fresh off the heels of their park day, Sora struggled to find something new to do with Kairi that she would enjoy. It was already early afternoon and they hadn't done much of anything.

He'd asked Kairi quite a few times what she would like to do, but she would just shrug and defer to his judgement.

Sora ended up just playing the day by ear. The two of them were watching television on the sofa much like they usually did, except between the previous night and today, something interesting had begun to occur between them.

Instead of sitting on opposite ends of the couch like they had been, Kairi sat close to him, head tilted toward him, almost resting against his shoulder. They were close enough to be feeding off each other's body heat, and just the proximity alone was a heady cocktail for Sora. She was becoming more comfortable with him, and that's one of the things Sora wanted the most, as selfish as it was.

Of course, he wanted her to experience new things and maybe garner the inspiration and courage to change her life, too. He wanted her to be happy and safe, something he knew she would never achieve while on the streets.

But even more than that, a concealed part of him just wanted her, and wanted her to want him, too. He wasn't sure if it was right or wrong to feel that way, but he felt it regardless.

Sora tried his best to remain perfectly still and not to lean too much into her. He told himself it was because he wasn't sure how she would react to overt touches, but that was a lie. Kairi seemed far more comfortable than him at their proximity; she was currently idly tracing the lines of his palm where it laid open and up against his thigh.

Her bruises were becoming lighter by the day. The dark purple blotches were beginning to lighten to a light yellow at the edges, and Sora interpreted that as a figurative and literal sign of healing for her.

Kairi's thumb brushed across his wrist and he honest to God shivered. No, she definitely wasn't the one who hesitated at physical closeness: he was. That didn't mean Sora didn't want it.

"You seem restless. Want to go for a walk?" she asked him, and he suddenly remembered her head was practically resting on his shoulder because her breath washed against his ear. His skin erupted in the most delicious gooseflesh.

Sora jumped up and put his shoes and jacket on in record time.

* * *

 

The neighborhood was peaceful, and it was nice getting out of the house for a bit. It felt odd going so many days without reporting for his job at the campgrounds, but his time with Kairi was keeping him busy.

It was late afternoon at that point so a few kids were home from school and riding their bikes—a few said hi to him as they passed. The walk was silent but comfortable, the leaves crunching underneath their sneakers. Kairi would occasionally tug on the sleeve of his jacket when she saw something of interest like an interesting tree or fall flower.

Old man Cid from farther down the street flagged them down to chat.

"Well, if it isn't Sora with Miss…" he trailed off, waiting for either of them to fill in the blank.

"Kairi." she supplied, smiling at him.

Cid took a drink from his glass of iced tea. "Oh, I like that. Name's Cid, my dear. I'm retired, so I don't do much other than sit on my lawn and watch everyone who goes by."

The bruise was still pretty prominent on Kairi's left cheek and Sora was already drafting a fib in his mind to explain it away since Cid was the first person besides Riku to meet Kairi. If the old man did notice it, he didn't ask, and Sora was glad he didn't have to formulate a lie about that, at least.

"And how do you know Sora?" he asked casually.

"We met at the movie theater." the brunette replied quickly. "At the concession line."

Cid raised a brow. Apparently his answer was a little _too_ quick. Kairi nodded from beside him in support.

"We did. Struck up a conversation while we waited to order and exchanged numbers over popcorn." she elaborated. "We're seeing where it goes."

Sora's chest fluttered. She was leading Cid to think they were a couple.

Cid grinned. "Well, that's wonderful. About time, if I may say so. Well, I'll talk to you'uns later. My favorite game show program is on."

The elder of the three stood from his lawn chair with a groan and shuffled back to his front door. Sora shot her a look.

"I'm staying at your _house_ , Sora." Kairi defended the made-up story. "If he notices, wouldn't it make more sense if he thought we were dating than if I told him we were just friends? Or would you rather me told him that I'm a whore you picked up from the curb downtown?"

Sora shifted his gaze so she couldn't see how flushed her bluntness had made him. "No, it was just… unexpected to hear you talk about us like that."

Kairi hummed but said nothing, tugging him back down the street by his jacket sleeve.

* * *

 

Sora stretched when they arrived back home from their walk. "I think I'm going to go soak for a bit." he announced, heading straight for the bathroom.

When he'd closed the door behind himself, he rummaged underneath the sink for a certain bottle that made all the difference for a good bath soak. He plugged the tub and turned the faucet knobs until the water was the perfect temperature and poured some of the bottle's contents where the rushing water emptied into the tub. Bubbles immediately began to spring up.

After a few minutes the water level was acceptable, and Sora shucked all his clothes before lowering himself slowly into the warm water.

Sighing contently as his muscles and joints relaxed, he leaned against the far tiled wall of the tub, surrounded by bubbles. He slipped farther into the water until he was nearly covered up to his chin in the soapy foam. It felt incredible. He usually reserved this for Fridays as his long work week came to close, but after everything that had happened since Sunday, Sora felt like he needed it.

He wasn't sure how masculine it was, but he liked a good bubble bath, and he already used women's shampoo and soap. He imagined he was in the deficit when it came to the well of masculinity, anyway. What did it matter?

Sora sat up in the bath, head lolling back against the wall while his arms rested along the lip of white porcelain as he closed his eyes. He was nearly on the verge of dozing off when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

Eyes snapping open, Sora turned his attention to the noise. "Kairi, everything okay?"

He heard the knob turn and the door slowly opened, revealing the girl in question. Sora's hands vacated the rim of the tub to cover himself as she entered, but then he remembered he was in a bubble bath and she probably couldn't see beneath the water anyway.

"What are you—?!"

Kairi bit her lip but didn't speak for a few long moments. Sora was sure she was storing up to burst out in laughter at the sight of a grown man taking a bubble bath, but she didn't. She eventually found her voice.

"Can I join you?"

Her question gob smacked him. He sat there in stunned silence for a moment, doing math in his head. Kairi taking a bath with him meant she would take her clothes off. That meant she would be  _very_  close to him with no clothes on. That would probably mean his nose would bleed into his bubble bath.

"K-Kairi, that's, um, well…" he fumbled for words like an idiot. The part of him that was falling hard for Kairi shuddered and sighed at the implication. Did Smitten Sora want to take a bubble bath with her? Hell yes.

But Sora had a rational part too, and that part of him wondered how it would change things between them, and wondered whether it would be a good or bad change. Especially after what happened Tuesday night, he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the progress they'd made. Truthfully, even rational Sora wanted this, but he also didn't want to move too quickly for her or himself. Their relationship wasn't a normal one, and he had no idea how to proceed.

Kairi shook her head, taking his babbling and ensuing silence as rejection. "This was stupid, I'm sorry. I'm totally out of line."

She turned around, poised to head back toward the door when Sora's soapy, wet hand shot out and brushed her arm. Kairi stopped. Sora said his next words without much thought.

"I-I… uh, sure. You can join me."

Kairi's worry turned to smile, and she promptly began stripping off her clothes. Sora's big toe poking out from the sea of bubbles at end of his tub suddenly became fascinating, so he studied it the entire time she disrobed.

"Scoot up." he heard her softly say from behind him. He instinctively glanced quickly at her, seeing her nakedness in his peripheral, and obediently moved forward, water sloshing against the inside wall of the tub.

Kairi settled down behind him and he felt her legs brush his waist as she stretched. He sent a prayer for thanks that his home came with a spacious rectangular tub.

Sora's heart was jackhammering so hard inside him that he felt like Kairi must be able to hear it. She tugged him backwards toward her, and he complied without hesitation.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

" _Way_  better than okay." he blurted; the warm water paired with the fact that they were naked together was doing a good job of making him a loose-lipped fool.

His back was flush against her front. He could feel her warm and alive against his back, and his head instinctively lolled back against her shoulder.

Kairi giggled, brushing a wet hand through his damp hair. "Not so shy anymore?"

Sora hummed, voice suddenly thick and sleepy as he relaxed against her. "Mm. Feels too good to be nervous."

"I love that you take bubble baths." she murmured, fingers tracing his shoulders. "It smells so good in here."

"Gardenia." he answered the question she hadn't asked. "Another one of my manly bathing scents."

She giggled again. "I think so. Honestly, it's sexy that you're secure in your sexuality enough to take a bubble bath."

Sora had been nulled into a state of calm, but that statement woke him up. The compliment careened through him like rolling waves.

Her hand found his underneath the water and she threaded their fingers together. Sora had expected there to be a carnal undertone at bathing with her, and there certainly was some rerouted bloodflow on his part, but it wasn't anything overwhelming. Mostly he felt warm and fuzzy.

Kairi brushed her cheek against his and Sora instinctively turned his face closer to hers. She pressed a timid but lingering kiss to his lips. If Sora hadn't been so relaxed from his spot in her lap, he would have erupted from his own skin. Her lips were soft and feathery against his, and any fantasy he had about what it would be like to kiss her paled in comparison to the real thing.

Sora had no clue how long they remained like that in the warm water, tenderly touching each other until they took lazy breaks between that to kiss. He mourned the fact that she was behind him, because he desperately wanted to feel her the way she was feeling him. The press of her breasts against his back, her soft sighs as she had free reign to touch any part of him that she liked, it all drove him crazy. If there was a next time he decided that he wanted their positions flipped.

Their bath together was warmth and intimacy and affection. He knew they'd crossed a line together that they couldn't come back from—not that he would ever want to.

"I think we should get out before we start pruning." she whispered near his ear.

Sora made a sound of protest from deep in his chest, but he knew she was right. He mourned ruining the decadent feeling being close to her gave him.

Sora regretfully drained the now bubble-less water as they both vacated the tub. They toweled off together, and even though they'd just shared a bath, Sora made it a point not to let his eyes wander to her nakedness before they both covered themselves with their towels. After walking to the bedroom and redressing in pajamas, the both of them decided to turn in for the night.

Warm and happy, Sora settled under the blankets in the darkness and closed his eyes. He felt movement beside him and familiar feathery lips pecked him on the cheek.

"Goodnight." he heard her murmur near his ear.

Sora decided to not worry about the implications of what had happened between them until tomorrow. For now, he simply allowed himself to enjoy their newfound closeness and fell quickly asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll clean up any grammar mistakes as the days roll on; hopefully there aren't many. Let me know if you enjoyed and relay any other thoughts you may have. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Kairi are invited to dinner at Riku and Namine's; the pair are forced to confront some hard truths as the end of their arrangement draws close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a long one, and I just have one little disclaimer. Originally I hadn't intended for there to be sex at all in this story, but as things started to develop more it felt necessary. It still isn't explicit and I wouldn't classify it as smut, but I decided it was best to warn you all anyway. It's lime-ish and it will be pretty obvious when it starts towards the end. I needed to emphasize the emotional aspect of that scene and so I had to write about the sex to a small degree. Most of the visceral language was purposely replaced by vague terms so folks who don't care for that stuff can still read. I hope you enjoy.

_**Friday** _

 

Sora woke to the smell of gardenias, feeling better than he had in a long time. Kairi had fallen asleep with her arms wound around his neck, the fingers of her right hand tucked through the short chocolate spikes on his nape.

He wondered if this was actually real. The bath he'd shared with her yesterday seemed almost like a dream, and she'd even  _kissed_  him. Sora wasn't sure what had possessed her to want to join him out of the blue, especially since she'd been adamant that there would be no sex between them for the duration of their arrangement they had, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

And no sex  _had_  happened between them, not even when they both crawled into bed together, warm and satisfied. But nothing compared to waking up in her arms; it was everything he'd imagined it would be.

Kairi's lids fluttered as she also began to slowly become alive to the world again. The sunlight played in her glassy, sleep heavy blue-violet orbs and she smiled groggily at him. Sora desperately wanted to kiss her in that moment, so he did. His lips brushed timidly against hers, and that same rolling boil of emotion from their bath last night settled deep into his belly again.

Kairi let out a little mewl of satisfaction and the sound made Sora's insides shudder. "Hey, you."

"Good morning." he greeted. "Sleep well?"

She released her embrace around his neck, small hands slipping down to lightly fist the chest of his grey t-shirt. She gently pulled him down for another kiss, which Sora wholeheartedly complied with. One kiss turned into another, and then another, and another. They weren't heady or desire charged, though there was an edge of that. Her lips made Sora happy, almost akin to intoxication.

"Best sleep I've ever had." she breathed when they parted, tracing his lip with her finger.

Sora brushed his thumb across the healthy edge of her bruise, which was now entirely yellow. "Mm, me too. That was the best bubble bath of my life."

There were so many things he wanted to ask her, like exactly where they stood after last night. Sora supposed it could just be chalked up to two consenting adults casually fooling around, but he'd caught feelings almost immediately after meeting her. Kairi obviously was unused to a relationship, but that kiss and being so close to her awoke Sora to the fact that he wasn't wired for casual affairs. Never had been, never would be—definitely not with this girl.

Kairi giggled. "I was scared I was overstepping, but you've been so sweet to me that I wanted to do something for you. I think I enjoyed it as much as you did."

Sora had to bite back a groan at the thought that she'd been affected too. "Oh?"

"Mhmm." the red-head cupped his jaw. "You're so responsive. I'd been thinking that maybe you were just that way with your words, but your body is honest, too. Your sounds, the way you completely gave yourself over to how good you felt. It made me feel good, too."

Sora turned beet red, embarrassed that she'd picked up on how pliant he'd felt in her arms last night. He tried to turn his head so she wouldn't see, but her small hand that cradled his jaw prevented him from doing so.

"Don't be embarrassed." she told him firmly, no humor or mocking present. "You're safe with me. I loved how open and receptive you were—I've never felt anything like that before."

Neither had he. It was the craziest thing to Sora. They'd bathed together, kissing and caressing as the urge took them, but no sex had happened. Yet he'd never felt anything so visceral or sensual in his whole life. But it wasn't the fact that they'd been naked and so wrapped up in each other that had made him feel that way—it was their connection. From the deepest part of his being, he'd become attached to her.

Sora wanted Kairi more than he'd wanted anyone, in every possible way. Something stirred in him. Arousal for sure, but that was only a miniscule part of it. He tried to place the sensation. It was floaty and raw; a familiar yet foreign feeling. Then it hit him.

It was hope.

He kissed her forehead. "I'm going to go make you breakfast."

* * *

 

The morning progressed into the afternoon without much in the way of excitement, aside from the fact that Sora was on cloud nine. It wasn't like they were  _together_ , but he was content to enjoy the playful flirting and kisses when offered. It wasn't exactly what he'd pictured in his head, but what in life worth having ever was? He felt elated, almost giddy.

This fact didn't escape Kairi.

"You're in a very good mood, even more so than usual." she commented conversationally as they once again watched television together on the loveseat.

Her bare legs were casually stretched across his lap as she laid longways across the furniture.

Sora turned to her, his large hand spread across her thin ankles where they crossed against the side of his thigh. Of course, he knew very well he was still riding the high he got from being close to her, but he decided to play aloof. "You think?"

Kairi hummed. "I know. I told you, you're not good at hiding how you feel."

She had that sweet smile on her face, the one that made it hard to imagine all the dark things she'd been through. It was pure light, and all he wanted to do was drown in it.

"Hey, I had nothing in particular I wanted to do today. Did you want to go see your dad?"

Kairi stiffened, smile neutralizing. "He's actually my adoptive dad, and I never want to see him again."

Sora cocked his head to the side. "Y-you sure? I don't mind taking you."

"He lives a couple hours away." she withdrew from him and curled her legs beneath her. "I left home almost two years ago. I'm not going back."

He immediately missed the contact they'd been sharing when it had left.

Sora nodded, feeling guilty he'd brought it up. He had already figured they weren't on good terms, but he thought it was typical parent-child conflict. The way Kairi paled made him think that maybe there was something more serious.

"You're not going to insist I give him another chance because we're ' _family'_?"

The brunette shifted so he was sitting parallel to the back of the couch, totally focused on her. "No. I can tell he hurt you in some way. If that's the case, I don't want him anywhere near you."

Kairi pressed her cheek against the back cushions, hesitant. "When my grandmother died when I was 13, I had no close relatives I could stay with. I lived in a small town called Traverse. Our mayor was very popular, and he agreed to take me in. He was single but since he was well-to-do and of a good reputation, he didn't have much trouble with the system there."

Sora could tell she was struggling to get through her story, and he reached over to thread their fingers together. "You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to." he reminded her gently.

Kairi sucked in a shaky breath. "No, I want to tell you." she insisted. "Aside from the fact that my grandmother had passed, I was happy to go live with the mayor; he'd always seemed nice to me and she spoke very highly of him. Living with him meant I didn't have to change schools or go to a complete stranger's house. I had three nice years with him, but as time wore on… things changed."

Her pretty eyes started to glaze with emotion and Sora moved closer to her, bending down slightly to peck her lips. He rested his forehead against hers, brushing their noses gently. "It's okay, Kairi. Deep breaths. I'm here."

Kairi squeezed his hand in return. "The sex didn't start until I was sixteen." she whispered. "We were sitting on the couch like you and me are now, and he just got on top of me and…"

Sora gathered her in his arms before she could finish. He held her tenderly, but inside his blood burned hot with what she was telling him.

"That's not sex, he  _raped_  you." Sora murmured, but he wasn't sure if he was telling her or thinking out loud to himself.

Kairi sniffed, pulling away a little so she could continue her tale. "I'm not sure what possessed him to do it after 3 years. Maybe he figured that at sixteen, I'd feel ashamed enough for my part in it to keep quiet, which I did. At first, I fought him every time, but he was bigger and stronger than me. He never hit me; he didn't want anyone suspicious of him and what went on between us, but he made sure to make it as painful as possible. I eventually stopped struggling at all and it didn't hurt as much, so I thought the tradeoff was worth it. Of course, that made him get the idea in his head that I enjoyed it. I left that place as soon as I graduated high school, saving enough money from babysitting for a bus ticket here."

Sora felt sick but stayed silent as he continued to listen. He knew the things she was saying were difficult for her, but she laid out the events in such a detached way that he realized she'd probably spent years numbing herself to her past so she could move on.

"I had this stupid idea that I could get a job and enroll in Shooting Star University here to study dance," she explained. "but when I arrived broke with no prospects, the harsh reality hit me that I was totally alone. I met a guy downtown who offered me a place to stay while I sorted everything out. It seemed like serendipity, like he was sent to me to help me turn my life around. It started out good at first; he was charming and considerate, and I fell for him quickly because I never knew men could be like that."

His chest clenched. "Why do I feel like it's not going to end with charming and considerate?"

Kairi played with the hem of her shirt. "Because it didn't. He gave me a place to live, but in return he began forcing me to sleep with strange men to help _earn my keep_. I was torn between the delusion of love and having no other options; I felt like I had no choice, like I was _indebted_. After a few months he came home with another girl and that was that. I found myself back on the street. You know the rest."

' _Indebted_.' That's where her dislike of owing people came from, he realized.

It seemed odd to Sora that her "benefactor" hadn't urged her to get a regular job, but then he remembered that there was actually a disgusting flourishing human trafficking trade in the city's underbelly. It and its perpetrators were infamous for preying on girls wanting to go to the fine arts school in town. When eager girls arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a dream, they were prime targets for manipulation into selling their bodies. Undoubtedly Kairi had fell into its clutches.

Sora felt like the air had been punched out of him. He moved in close to her again and cupped her face gently between two of his large, warm hands. "You're incredible."

Kairi grimaced, violet-blues darting to avoid his gaze. "I went from being raped by my adoptive father for two years to whoring myself out for a man I thought loved me. Then since he tossed me away, I've spent the last year sleeping in trick pads and doing the same thing I have my whole life to just survive. I'm  _nothing_ , Sora."

"That's a lie!" Sora wiped away the wetness from the rim of her bottom lashes. "After everything you've been through, you're still here. You have this big, bright light inside you; I can feel it. It's warmth and it just feels good to be around. I wish I had  _half_  your strength."

God, he wanted her to understand that. More than anything.

Kairi suddenly leaned forward with all her weight, pushing him slowly onto his back with her on top. She kissed him slow, her tears wetting his cheeks as her lips moved against his, desperate and insistent.

Their contact now was much more intense than their time together in the bath the night before had been. Sora returned the kisses but stayed passive. He could tell she was emotional and he wanted her to feel in control. Her hand trailed from his neck to his chest and eventually settled against his belly, pressing into the firm muscle there.

Kairi finally parted from him and rested her cheek against his chest. He stroked her dark red hair, trying to wrap his head around the things she'd been through.

She sniffed and looked up at him, eyes watery but a tiny smile on her face.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"You're welcome. It meant a lot that you let me in a little bit. I know it was hard."

Nothing else was said between them for a while as they laid together, their closeness saying more than words ever could.

* * *

 

A few hours later he was driving them across town to Riku and Namine's apartment building.

Kairi fiddled with her seatbelt. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to come with you?"

"Of course it is." he answered, not taking his eyes off the road. "Why? Did you not want to come?"

Kairi looked back out through her passenger side window as dull grey buildings streaked by. "No, that's not it. It's just… they don't really know me."

Sora shrugged. "What better way to change that than by coming with me to dinner?"

He thought Kairi seemed almost nervous. He couldn't imagine why. She'd already met Riku, and Namine certainly wasn't an intimidating presence, especially pregnant as she was. But of course, Kairi didn't know her like he did.

It wasn't 10 minutes later that they had arrived at their destination. While they were taking the elevator up to the 3rd floor, Kairi nudged him.

"If they ask who I am, what should we tell them?"

Sora thought about that for a moment. "Well, I had no choice but to tell Riku the truth, but I know he won't have told Namine."

Kairi wrung her hands out. "No, I don't mean about how we met or what I am. Who should we tell them I am to  _you_?"

Understanding fluttered through Sora. She was talking about their relationship. They were clearly not merely platonic friends with all the kissing and touching they'd been doing since yesterday, but she hadn't professed anything to him to give hope to his dream that they could be more, either.

"… What do you want to tell them?"

Kairi cast her eyes down. "I don't know." she admitted.

At least she was honest. Sora wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed that she seemed as in the dark about what they were as he was.

"Maybe we should just introduce you as a friend, then." he suggested.

"But I told your neighbor we were seeing each other."

Sora gripped the stainless-steel railing of the elevator as it shuddered to a stop on the 3rd floor. "It's not like they're going to talk to him about you. We can tell them anything you're comfortable with."

A chime sounded and the automatic door slid open. They both exited into the long, beige hallway.

"Kairi, they probably won't ask at all." he assured her. "But if they do, we'll tell them we're friends. That's not a lie, is it?"

He'd like to think they were friends at the very least.

Kairi shook her head. "No, it's not a lie. We're friends, then."

How was it possible that her words both hurt and thrilled him?

* * *

 

Sora knocked on the dark green door of 14C. It only took a moment for the door to be wrested open as Riku ushered the pair into the modest apartment.

Namine, who was sitting in her favorite chair, smiled and made to get up to greet them. Sora quickly cleared the distance between them, seeing as how she was struggling to hoist herself up.

He knelt down to her level so she could embrace him easier.

"Hey, Nam." He greeted, returning the hug.

Namine squeezed him tightly before releasing him. He placed a hand gingerly over her swollen stomach and gave it an innocent peck. "And hello to you, too." he greeted the unborn child.

Namine huffed. "I don't want you to forget how eager you were to meet her when it's time to babysit."

Sora laughed, standing to his feet. "I won't."

Namine reclined back, rubbing her stomach. "Dinner is almost ready. Riku's in charge of the lasagna. I prepared it earlier. He's just on oven duty because my feet hurt, so you aren't in danger from his cooking."

Riku shrugged, looking sheepish. He was the consummate bad cook; Sora could personally vouch for that.

"That sounds great." he told her, then looked back and gestured at the red-haired woman standing behind him. "By the way, Nam, this is Kairi."

Kairi stepped forward. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me over."

Namine brightened. "Oh, Riku mentioned that Sora was bringing someone. Make yourself at home. Sora is family, so that means you are too by extension."

Kairi couldn't hide the light flush. He'd seen too much of her these past several days not to notice it.

Sora had already plopped down on the sofa while the two women were talking. Namine didn't ask about the nature of their relationship or how they met. He was sure Riku didn't tell her about Kairi being a call girl, but he wasn't sure if his friend had mentioned that she was staying at his house.

Just for the sake of not having to fib if not necessary, he decided to play everything by ear. Kairi came to sit beside him.

He and Namine continued to chat while Riku busied himself in the kitchen. He felt Kairi's fingers play on the back of his hand between them. He turned his hand over without a word and opened his palm to her. She grasped his hand, understanding perfectly the unspoken invitation and it seemed to give her a measure of comfort.

She began to join in on his and Namine's conversation. It felt good to have her amongst his two most treasured people in the world. It gave him hope that maybe if she saw their worlds were compatible, she'd give a life like this a shot, give  _him_  a shot.

* * *

 

Sometime later, their meal was well underway, and Sora noticed the table was all smiles and idle chatter. Kairi obviously didn't speak much about herself, but she listened intently as Riku spoke a little about his job at the precinct and Namine talked a little about her job at the art studio and supply shop she was currently on maternity leave from. Once that had been talked thoroughly, Namine focused on Sora.

"How has your vacation been?"

Sora looked up from where he was tucking into his meal. He finished his bite and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It's been really great." he answered, "It's nice getting up and relaxing all day."

Namine cut a piece of her own lasagna. "That's good. You deserve to have some time to enjoy yourself."

Once job talk had wound down, the topic of conversation shifted to story-time. At the moment, Riku and Namine were busy relaying embarrassing stories about Sora as a child to Kairi. Sora grudgingly accepted it as a right of passage for bringing someone new to their apartment for dinner and endured it like a champ.

He thought it felt very domestic. He wouldn't change a thing about Kairi, but a part of him mourned that he would never get the chance to hear stories about her as a child. She was so beautiful and brave to tell him about her struggles this morning, but Sora would probably never get to hear about her formative years with her grandmother.

There was no way he was ever taking her back home, either. After everything Sora had learned about her adoptive dad, he couldn't promise he wouldn't choke the bastard on sight for everything he'd done to Kairi.

"Sora fell from the tree he was pretending was a spaceship and broke his wrist when we were seven. Told everyone he got hurt in a space battle." he heard Riku tell the whole table, rolling the ice around in his water glass.

Kairi giggled, and despite the fact that her mirth was about one of their embarrassing stories about him, he was glad she felt comfortable enough around Riku and Namine to allow herself to be part of the group.

Sora sighed, spearing a morsel of lasagna with his fork and shoveling it into his mouth. He chewed carefully. "Yeah, well, Riku used to play with a wooden sword conatantly. One time he swung it so hard he lost his grip on it and it flew through his neighbor's window."

Riku sealed his lips shut. "Fair enough."

"This is really delicious, Namine." Kairi complimented, taking another bite of her own portion.

Riku hummed in agreement, leaning over to kiss his wife's cheek. "It is. Thank you."

"It's been a long time since I've had lasagna." Sora told her. "This really hit the spot."

Namine beamed. "I'm glad everyone liked it, and I'm glad Kairi joined us." she looked at the red-head across the table. "Maybe you can come with Sora again for game night or something."

Sora took a long drink from his glass of milk. He glanced over Kairi. She had swallowed her bite and became eerily still.

"I'd like that." Kairi replied, pushing her lasagna around her plate like she had that first night with the spaghetti he'd made her.

For the first time in a couple days, he realized it was Friday. Their arrangement had 2 more days. His time with Kairi was winding down a lot more quickly than he wanted.

A little later after their meal had ended and goodnights were being said, Namine gave Kairi one of her comfy pregnant hugs, saying how great it was to meet her. She then turned her attention to Sora, giving him the same treatment, but leaned in just a big closer to whisper in his ear.

"There's a story here. I didn't ask tonight because I can tell it's a complicated one, but I saw the gooey eyes you made at her when you thought no one was watching. Whatever else is going on doesn't change the fact that she's lovely and you're clearly happy. Don't let this one get away, Sora."

Namine moved her lips a couple inches over and kissed his cheek as she pulled away. She gave him a meaningful look and Sora felt his blood warm in his veins at her perceptiveness. He could never get anything past Namine. Now he'd involved Riku and Namine and there was even more reason to put everything he had into these last 2 days.

* * *

 

Later that night, Sora was lounging in bed with his eyes closed, nesting into his warm covers when he heard the soft footfalls of feet on carpet. He didn't bother opening his eyes even as his mattress sunk slightly under an additional weight.

"Did you fall asleep already?"

Kairi had left to shower, and from the moment she slid in bed next to him, a sweet floral scent teased his nostrils. It wasn't a scent he could place right off, though it must have been something he had tucked away that she found.

Was it lavender? Whatever it was, it smelled incredible on her. He was tempted to roll over and press his nose into those damp cranberry strands where the smell was surely its most intoxicating.

But seeing a golden opportunity to play a little game with her, Sora continued to pretend to be asleep. He was doing an admirable job until he felt the softest flutter of lips against his and he instinctively responded, kissing her back.

Kairi hummed in faux surprise against his mouth. "He puckers in his sleep? Very impressive."

Sora chuckled as her soft, pillowy lips left him, finally cracking his eyes open. "Hey, I was pretending to be asleep, not dead."

He rolled over onto his side to face her. Despite the fact that Namine had plenty of things in the clothes she sent with Riku that could serve perfectly well as nightclothes, Kairi still chose to sleep in his t-shirts. Sora couldn't say he was disappointed.

Kairi reached over and combed her fingers through his soft brown spikes, her nails gently scratching against his scalp. "Riku and Namine are both really great."

"They are." he agreed. "They really liked you, too. I'm glad you got to meet them."

She leaned over and kissed him again, but this time it was slow and methodical. He reciprocated eagerly, their mouths moving together in perfect tandem. Sora heard the slightest sigh from her, and he became emboldened, deepening the kiss. By the time they parted, both were breathing hard.

She pressed their foreheads together, fingers tugging ever so lightly on his unruly brunette locks. "Do you think someone like me has a chance of ever having something like that?"

Sora didn't have to ask what she meant.

Her indigo irises were like sad fire. He brushed their noses, trying to lighten her mood from the darkness that suddenly rolled in. On the other hand, he felt happy to hear her say it. The want for what Riku and Namine had was plain in her voice.

"I think you can have anything you want, Kairi."

Kairi suddenly pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. "Wanting is the dangerous part for someone like me." she murmured, fingers trailing down his naked chest, stopping when she reached his navel. "The way you've been kissing me like I'm someone special instead of a living, breathing sex toy… it's hard not to want to believe it."

Sora's belly filled with liquid desire; for her, for more, for them. He gently squeezed her thigh as it flanked his right side.

"You  _are_  special. To hell with anyone who's ever told you anything different."

She smiled at him, though it didn't make it to her eyes. Sometimes she was difficult to read, but right now Sora knew her mind was being pulled in a dozen different directions. She bent down and pecked him on the cheek before rolling off him, facing away. She reached behind for him, catching his wrist and tugging him towards her. Sora complied, plastering himself to her back as she hugged his forearm close to her chest.

The floral notes of the lavender that she'd washed herself with were everywhere. His blankets, his pillows… it was all Kairi. Sora buried his face into her neck, her small frame warm and soft against him. They'd slept together every night since that first very early Sunday morning, but never tangled up together like this.

Yet another first for them. If there was any remaining doubt as to whether Kairi had carved her way permanently into his heart, it died as she laid in his arms. Sora had never felt so happily doomed.

* * *

 

_**Saturday** _

 

Seeing Namine so pregnant reminded Sora that he still had so much to do. She was due in just about 2 months and he was no closer to clearing out that 2nd bedroom into something usable. Maybe he'd finally throw out the junk in his shed out back and replace it with the guest room's junk before his vacation ended.

"You've been starting into that room for fifteen minutes." came a voice behind him.

Sora turned, forearm balanced on the doorframe as Kairi watched him, amused.

"I meant to clean this room out forever ago." he told her. "Figured when the baby gets old enough and Riku and Nam need some time to themselves, it would make a nice overnight nursery."

Kairi tilted her head at him. "You're really excited about becoming an uncle, aren't you?

"Of course. I've always liked kids."

He was going to ask her own opinion, but then remembered how pensive and sad such topics made her, so he resisted.

Sora exhaled loudly. "Well, no better time to get that shed in the back sorted out."

He knew he'd enlisted her help with it Monday, but after she'd helped rake the yard earlier in the week, he wasn't going to demand that of her.

"Sounds fun. Let's do it."

But of course, she offered anyway, and he wasn't going to turn her down.

* * *

 

The shed had garbage and boxes packed into in it when he had moved in a couple years ago. None of it looked important and since it had been left behind, Sora figured it was safe to say it probably wasn't sentimental either.

The shed was a nice size, not too large. Sora likened it to about the size of a small bathroom.

Kairi had rolled up the legs of her too-long sweats and moved boxes and various bits of junk with him onto the ground outside. That had been the easy part. Sora spent quite a long time sorting through it afterward, setting aside the junk from the clothes.

After that was done, he loaded the two piles into his hatchback and Kairi went with him to the local second-hand shop. The clothes were dusty and very old fashioned, but Sora would feel better if someone could get a use out of them instead of just throwing them away. The associates that worked there seemed confident something good could be done with them, so the brunette happily left the donations with them.

Next, they went to the public dump and tossed out the rest; it had been too much to place on the curb. Most of it was junk—broken toys and furniture. Kairi helped him heave the things into their proper bins.

By the time they finished, both were already feeling tired and it was only early afternoon. Sora stopped and got them hamburgers at drive-thru for lunch.

* * *

 

"Thanks for helping me, Kairi. I appreciate it." he thanked her as they were sitting at the kitchen table after returning home, both tucking into their lunches.

Kairi nibbled a french fry beside him. "You're welcome. I'm glad we got it finished.

Sora finished the last bite of his sandwich and licked the remaining taste from his fingers. "Now I just have to fill it up with the crap from the guest bedroom and decorate the empty room with actual furniture a baby can use."

Sora, finished with his meal, stood. Kairi made to do the same but he shook his head, gesturing at her unfinished lunch.

"Nah, I got this. Most of it is just boxes and a few heavy things. It won't take me long. You finish eating."

Kairi gave him a look but obeyed, taking a bite out of her burger. Sora went to prop the front door open so it would be easier to carry things in and out. The guest room was full of boxes of his old things that he kept put away. There were clothes, old stereos, an old dresser drawer, and other odds and ends.

Sora took a deep breath and set about moving things from inside to outside in the shed. The brightness of noon had dimmed and the sky was now overcast. He started with the numerous boxes and plastic storage containers, carrying two at a time if he was able.

Kairi just watched him as he passed by her at the kitchen table as he carried his burdens back and forth. After about half an hour of the monotonous moving he whittled it down to the dresser, a chair, and an old black nightstand. The dresser wasn't huge; it was feasible to carry it out on his own. Once he came back in for the chair and his table, Kairi had trashed the garbage from their lunch and disappeared.

His small shed in the backyard was once again filled with odds and ends. Sora locked the semi back and went back inside, sweaty and tired. As soon as he stepped through the threshold, the smell of gardenias hit him. He couldn't help but smile.

Sora shut the front door and Kairi emerged from the bathroom.

"I figured you'd be tired, so I ran you a bath."

He closed the distance between them, leaning against the wall near the door. The sweet smell of the bath permeated his modest home. "Just me?"

Kairi shrugged. "I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to saving hot water and joining you again. Might need someone to get to that spot between my shoulders I can't reach well, though. Know anyone who might be willing to help me with that?"

Sora gave her a smirk of his own. Was Kairi flirting with him? The idea thrilled him; butterflies fluttered through his belly.

"I think I might know someone."

Kairi smiled and pecked him on the lips. "Then I don't see any reason why you should have to take a hot bubble bath alone." She led him by hand into the bathroom.

* * *

 

Like he had wanted the other night, their positions in the bath were reversed. It was no less heady and relaxing, but since the both of them were tired from the cleaning and running they had done earlier in the day, they actually bathed this time around.

Sora gently scrubbed Kairi's back with a soapy loofah sponge. She sighed as he reached the spot between her sharp shoulder blades. A shudder of satisfaction careened through him that he was the one who was the cause of it.

He kissed her neck right below the angle of her jaw. "Lavender smells so good on you." he murmured against her wet skin.

Sora continued to wash her everywhere that felt appropriate, then pressed the loofah into her hands so she could get her more sensitive spots herself. They were already naked and bathing together, but he still didn't want to cross that last line.

Out of respect for her and self-preservation for himself. He honestly wasn't sure he could go any further and still keep his own desire in check. Her skin felt so warm and wet and wonderful beneath his hands and flush against his chest.

He pressed his cheek against the top of her wet head from where he'd washed it for her while she finished up.

"Your turn." she told him softly a minute or two later.

Kairi maneuvered behind him in the spacious tub and repeated the process he'd done to her. Her medium length nails massaged the tangerine shampoo into his scalp, carding through his spiky mahogany hair.

"Mm. I could fall asleep like this." he shifted against her, leaning back.

Kairi hummed. "Maybe wait until we get out to fall asleep?"

Sora was only vaguely aware of the loofah spreading soap across his chest until he felt drowsiness creep up on him like it had the other night. "No promises."

* * *

 

Later that night Sora woke up to shifting beneath him. He'd fallen asleep on the couch, head in Kairi's lap.

"In the bath  _and_  while watching television. Very impressive."

He yawned and stretched but didn't move from his comfortable spot. He remembered giving Kairi the remote and free reign to watch whatever she wanted. She turned it to the public access channel while an orchestra concert was being broadcasted.

"N'my fault." he mumbled groggily "S'relaxing."

The orchestra was still going. When he looked back to the program it sounded like the first notes to a new piece were being played by the string section.

Kairi intook a sharp breath of air. "Oh this is one of my favorites. My solo dance recital in high school was to this piece."

Sora shifted a little so he could look at her. "You took dance in high school?"

Kairi nodded. "He encouraged me do extracurriculars, surprisingly. Guess it wouldn't have looked good if the mayor's adopted daughter stayed holed up in the house all the time."

Sora finally sat up as the orchestra began to pick up tempo, the notes swelling. He knew next to nothing about music, but he did know this was a beautiful song.

"You danced to this? Could you show me?"

Kairi flushed a little. "Sora, it's almost midnight. I haven't danced… in almost two years."

Sora blinked at her. "Is it something you can forget how to do?"

"N-no, of course not. B-but—"

Seeing how flustered the mention of dance was making her, he backpedaled slightly. "You're right. It was a dumb thing of me to ask." he interrupted her protests. "I'm sorry."

But just as he told her that, the orchestra quieted and only a violin and piano could be heard. The violinists began to play long, beautiful chords while the piano picked up shortly after. When the two almost seemed to harmonize in the gorgeous droning melody, Kairi stood up. She planted herself a good ways out of the way of him and the coffee table, feet spread a foot apart.

Sora leaned forward in his seat as Kairi began to move in a circle. Her arms seemed to flow in perfect rhythm with her body as she went, extending and retracting like her whole being was one harmonious mass. Her back arched and her footwork seemed to be in sync with the dark piano keys, her arms flowed like they were painting what the violin tones  _looked_  like.

He knew next to nothing about dance, but he knew that Kairi was good. Very good. Her movements and the somber notes of the musical piece made his chest clench almost painfully, not totally unlike the way a particularly deep kiss from her made him feel. The music came into a powerful but pensive crescendo, but her body became like a vessel for the mood, desperate and calm.

Kairi was limber and emotive, mouth fixed in a firm position as she moved. She seemed boneless, liberated, and as the violin and piano reached their most dramatic, Kairi tucked her chin into the air with one arm curved around her midsection and the other reaching above. She leaned slightly forward, balancing everything on her right leg, holding the position until the sounds of the music faded out.

Dead silence set over his living room as an intermission began for the concert on television as the spell was broken. Kairi relaxed finally, blushing prettily as she looked over at him.

"God, Kairi. That was beautiful."

Kairi pursed her lips. "It was. I'd forgotten how much I loved Chopin's Nocturne." she mused, almost like she was talking to herself more than him.

Sora got up and crossed the room, brushing a tuft of rebellious silken cranberry away from her cheek, kissing the overheated skin there. "I wasn't talking about the music."

Kairi gently shoved him away, still gorgeously flushed. "You're such a sweet talker, Sora."

The brunette shook his head with a chuckle, ingraining her dance at midnight into his mind.

"Honest, remember?"

* * *

 

 

_**Sunday** _

 

Sora stirred awake the next morning to the loud, low rumble of thunder. It had apparently started to storm overnight after all the overcast clouds from Saturday.

He felt a squeeze to his middle as he made to roll over.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sora groaned as she nipped lightly at his ear. "Nowhere."

Kairi had taken up residence as the big spoon last night and he'd fallen asleep wrapped in her thin arms.

Their legs were tangled together, and her feet teasingly nudged his. Sora arched back against her, in part to stretch and the other part to enjoy more contact between them.

He could hear thunder rumbling quietly in the distance again. They laid there for several minutes—Sora couldn't say exactly how many—just enjoying the lack of space between them. Her fingers fisted the chest of his t-shirt,

"You're so big and warm. I could go back to sleep." she whispered near his ear.

Sora agreed, feeling incredibly lethargic. "You're good at cuddling."

Kairi leaned in, kissing a path up his neck to his ear. Sora raked his teeth against his bottom lip as she nipped at his sensitive skin, stopping near his ear. Her hand snaked under his shirt, traveling from his abs to his chest. "Know what else I'm good at?"

Sora shuddered, blood running hot as she touched him, her breath rasping against his ear. "W-what's that?"

Kairi quickly withdrew from him, cutting through the sexual tension between them like it wasn't twelve leagues thick, placing a chaste kiss to his temple. "Making omelets. Why don't I make you breakfast for once?"

Sora groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down while Kairi just sat back on her haunches, giving him a surprised look.

"You don't like omelets?"

Gaining some semblance of composure, Sora laughed in spite of himself, sitting up. "No, I love them, actually. Sure you don't want me to handle it?"

"You've made us breakfast every day this week." she reminded him. "Let me do it this morning."

Before Sora could protest any further, she was bouncing toward the kitchen.

* * *

 

Breakfast had been delicious. Sora insisted on washing the dishes while Kairi rummaged through the board game closet looking for something they could play while the sleeting rain and thunder persisted—his weather app showed storms for the rest of the day. Part of him wanted to mourn such bad weather on the final day of his vacation but saying cozy with Kairi inside wasn't something he was going to complain about.

As he rinsed the last fork and was drying off his hands, Kairi had already picked and set up some trivia game up at the table. Sora felt optimistic this wouldn't be as embarrassing as the property acquisition one.

He smiled at her as he sat down. "Maybe I'll have a chance this time."

Kairi clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "Maybe." She parroted.

Over an hour and a couple rounds later, they were one to one. They took a brief intermission and Sora used the few minutes to throw their laundry from the past week in the washing machine installed in a little alcove in the hall.

When Sora returned to the table, they played almost another hour and Kairi emerged the victor of their trivia showdown. The score ended with three to one.

Most of the day consisted of them playing various board games or chatting idly. Late afternoon approached and they sat on small patio, watching the rainfall slick the streets and grass of the quiet neighborhood. Neither of them spoke much, but talking wasn't really needed. They just enjoyed the soft pitter pat of the rain on a lazy Sunday.

* * *

 

Sunday night came more quickly than Sora was prepared for. Monday was that much closer and that meant that work would interrupt the constant presence that Kairi had been every hour of every day for his entire week.

He suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to flip the laundry he started earlier, so when the movie they had been watching ended, he decided to fix that. He finished loading everything into the dryer and was on his way back to the sofa when Kairi intercepted him at the end of the hall.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. "You mind if I go to bed a little early?"

Honestly, Sora really didn't want her to. He knew it was wrong, but all day all he'd wanted to do was cling to her. Tomorrow he would be reporting back to the campground everyday from eleven o'clock in the morning to six o'clock in the evening. He usually enjoyed his work, but something had changed.  _He_  had changed

It was funny how he had gone from dreading his long vacation, to hating the thought of going back to his normal life. Kairi had made all the difference. He felt like she'd woken him up from a deep sleep—he couldn't go back now, not even if he wanted to.

Sora wound his arms around her. As much as he wanted to spend more time with her, he wasn't going to try and dissuade her. "Nah, it's been a slow day. Enjoy your sleep."

Kairi stood on her tiptoes and whispered to him. "I didn't say I was going to sleep, did I?"

Something about the way she said that made him quirk a brow. When she withdrew from him and turned to disappear into his bedroom, he couldn't stop himself from following right behind her.

* * *

 

It started innocently enough. They chatted at first; about the rain that still poured and the low thunder that shook the small home occasionally, about all the times he lost miserably during their trivia games earlier—little things.

But when the conversation stilted the first time, Kairi used the pause to stretch over to him to steal a kiss. Sora suddenly didn't care about whatever idle remark he was going to make and focused on kissing her back, that familiar fever pitch desire eeking all the way up to the tops of his ears.

Kairi ended up on top of him, straddling his thigh. That's when he felt her tongue shyly brush across his bottom lip, as if asking permission. Sora, overwhelmed for the quickest moment, groaned into her mouth and Kairi took that as consent. Which, of course, he was a hundred percent going to give anyway.

She licked into his mouth, kissing him with tongue for the first time since things had become physical between them a few days ago. Sora couldn't keep track of everything happening after that. He started running on pure instinct, touching her tentatively where he could reach. They briefly disconnected their lips for breath.

Kairi was flushed a lovely pink by now, her lips kiss swollen. Want sat heavy in his bones as he carded a hand through her disheveled hair, trying to smooth it. Things were progressing rapidly out of his control where she was concerned.

Sora's shirt had been shucked at some point. He squeezed his eyes closed in an effort to calm himself down. He began to think of unsexy things—car crashes, elderly people, taxes.

Then Kairi very purposely canted her hips against his thigh and everything was undone. She laved at the hammering pulse throbbing beneath his neck, and Sora was almost sure he moaned.

"H-hah… K-Kairi, we should… probably s-stop."

She sat up slightly, a smirk of a thousand promises on her face, looking pointedly below his waist. "You sure? Doesn't look like you want to stop."

Sora felt like he'd caught fire. His body was betraying him. He remembered the boundary she'd set days ago.

" _Let's just go ahead and make this arrangement completely sex-free."_

" _Of course. I told you this isn't about sex."_

And that was still true. But a lot had changed since Monday morning. His feelings, the way they behaved around each other, everything. This wasn't just sex—he knew that. But he also had given her his word.

"I promised I wouldn't—" he began, but she interrupted him by sliding a hand dangerously far up his upper thigh and his mind was wiped clean.

"I remember _me_ being the one who made that stipulation, and I'm the one initiating this. Get what I said almost a week ago out of your head. I  _want_  you, and I know you want me, too."

Kairi's admission made every muscle in Sora's body clench. She bent down to kiss him again and things quickly became feverish. Clothes were carefully discarded, and Sora had almost fell completely to his own lust haze as their lips and tongues danced together until Kairi pulled away.

"Did you say you had condoms or no?"

That was when Sora realized that this was actually real.

"N-no. I don't have any. I… uh, didn't expect this. God, Kairi, I'm so sorry—"

She rolled off him and Sora cursed himself for being stupid.

Kairi rummaged around the room until she found that large men's jacket she'd been wearing when he met her. She dug around in the pockets and pulled out a foil packet.

Sora's mouth went dry. She'd offered to let him go forego protection when she thought he was buying her time. When he confessed he didn't have any and they'd have to go back to his place, she'd agreed, yet she'd had  _that_  in her pocket the whole time?

"Kairi, that night I picked you up and I told you we'd have to come back here because I didn't have any on me, you—"

She'd already rejoined him on the bed and kissed his cheek. "I'm a whore, not stupid. The health clinic gives these out, so I always keep them on me when I work. I had no idea what kind of person you were. As much as I wanted to tell you I had these to avoid coming back to your house after what happened earlier that day, I also didn't want to set you off by protesting everything you wanted to do, so I decided to go along with it."

Sora hated when she called herself a whore, but he wasn't going to argue with her while he was painfully hard and they were both naked. He'd break her of the habit eventually. He brushed the apple where that bruise had all but disappeared, as had a lot of the hurt in those first days.

"I actually take advantage of the free screenings they do there, too. They encourage all the working girls to." she continued. "I'm... clean, but I think it's still best if you wear one."

He nodded, swallowing hard. Of course, they weren't just for disease prevention. God, she was beautiful, and he didn't want to screw this up.

She tried to take him in hand and in her mouth, but he wouldn't let her. As fantastic as he was sure it would feel, he realized that she'd probably spent every sexual encounter she'd ever had pleasing her partner, and probably almost none of it had been reciprocated. He didn't want her time with him to feel anything like it had with those other men.

"Want you to feel good." he murmured, large hands playing against every inch of skin he could get to, redoubling his efforts when her body or voice responded positively.

Despite his newfound confidence, Sora's nerves were running high. There was no way she didn't feel how tightly he was wound, and he was proved correct when Kairi started kissing a trail from his shoulder to his ear.

"Hey, relax. I can hear you thinking from here." she breathed teasingly. She gingerly took him in her hands, rolling the condom expertly on.

Sora wasn't sure if that was supposed to be or not, but damn if that wasn't the most arousing thing he'd ever felt in his life. He flipped their positions so she was gently tucked beneath him, soft and eager against him. He swallowed hard, watching her dark, hooded indigo eyes, searching for any indication of trepidation from her.

"Any second thoughts?" 

Kairi scowled at him. "Sora, if you don't stop overthinking and  _take_  me right now, I'm going to get up and go sit in the living room alone and you can ask your hand for permission to your heart's content."

If Sora wasn't so severely drenched in desire that he  _ached_  for her, he would have laughed. But he was, so he decided to let instinct take over.

That first press was the single best thing he'd ever felt in his life. Kairi was snug and hot and everything he'd could have ever asked for. Her nails scrabbled along his shoulders, but the smart of it against his skin was minimal compared to the white-hot pleasure that shot through every vein in his body. In fact, it almost added to it. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him closer.

Sora kissed up her neck soothingly as her whole body shuddered.

"You okay?" he panted against her throat, faring a little better than her on the outside, but not by much.

Kairi moved her hips against his ever so slightly and mewled. He felt her seize a little. "Y-yeah. M'fine… Just give me a minute, okay?"

Sora nuzzled into her neck. He still faintly smelled lavender. "As many as you need. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he mumbled, feeling a little worried.

Her hands left his shoulders, threading through the damp spikes on the back of his head. "Not—hnng…" A sharp intake of breath as she arched a little into him. "n-not exactly. You're just… a lot. But I'm okay now. You can move."

He felt his face burn at the implication about his size but obeyed her command before his head could inflate any. They both moved agonizingly slowly throughout the entire coupling, breathing heavily and murmuring praise to one another. On one particularly intense push, she had called his name so desperately that it was a miracle everything hadn't ended right then and there.

Sora was a wreck too. He'd wanted this so badly and now that they were together, he couldn't keep track of all the growls and sighs he was responsible for. He was sure some of them were more like embarrassing keens, but he was too far gone to care what he sounded like. Kairi didn't seem to care.

She felt like home. Every push into her reinforced that for him.

When completion careened through him, his toes curled and he clung to her like she was his life raft in the middle of a storm. She followed almost immediately after, squeezing him in tight warmth and pulling him down for a deep, wet kiss that almost made him feel like he was ready to go again.

But the heady lust between them slowly waned until Sora was just indiscriminately planting chaste kisses wherever he pleased on her face, their fingers woven together as they caught their breath from their fervent joining.

After a few long moments of wonderful afterglow, Sora reluctantly disentangled himself from Kairi, making a trip to the bathroom across the hall to trash the used condom. He wasted no time in getting back to bed, sliding under the blankets with her, tugging her close.

"Kairi, you were so good. Amazing, actually."

Kairi stroked his chest back and forth. "That was… really great. I've never had sex like that before. You were so… gentle, thorough."

It made him feel good to hear her say that. Not because it was an ego stroke about his ability, but because that meant he'd shown her the tenderness all her other partners had withheld from her. He'd wanted her to experience something better with him—he hoped she had.

Kairi turned onto her side in his arms, letting him fall in place as the big spoon again. He peppered her cheek with a few more kisses for good measure, unable to contain himself. She giggled quietly but decided to be merciful and twisted her neck slightly so he could claim her lips, which he happily did.

Sora's insides melted like warm chocolate at the tenderness of her mouth against his. They'd kissed plenty at this point, but he didn't imagine it would ever start feeling typical. Finally having had his fill of Kairi, he just relaxed, one arm thrown across her midsection and the other tucked underneath their pillows

The room was completely dark now, and Sora once again became cognizant of the rain still falling outside by the soft sound of it pelting his home. Drowsiness from the intense orgasm that had drained him of most of his energy, paired with the calming sound of the rain outside loosened his tongue.

"Love you."

Sora murmured the words into the dark of the room before he could swallow them. Did he love Kairi? He knew that he did, against all reason. He wasn't sure if he was _in_ love with her just yet, but at the reckless pace he felt like he'd moved within a week, it was all but inevitable.

He wondered if she was still awake. If she was, she had no reaction to what he said. Of course, he'd been harboring tender feelings for her even before what had just happened between them, but that paired with it being his last day of vacation and him feeling so relaxed snuggled up to her had pushed the admission from his lips. Sora knew people confused love and lust all the time to disastrous results, but this was different. He knew himself; this wasn't some carnal fog. Right or wrong, reckless as it may have been to admit after just a week, he really did love her.

Sora had no clue how she felt about him. The way she'd touched him certainly felt like love, but she hadn't said anything to that effect. He knew her history probably made her more of a cynic than most. He just wanted her to know how he felt; he understood if she needed time. He was content to wait.

Exhausted but happy, he nodded off.

* * *

 

_**Monday** _

 

When consciousness rolled through Sora the next morning, he had a feeling of elation in his bones that he'd never experienced before. It seemed painfully atypical of him, to feel so buoyant and bouncy after the previous night with Kairi, but he was truly happy, and it wasn't just because of the sex.

It was the fateful morning, but he honestly felt no anxiety like he'd had for most of the past week. Sora felt like she had really opened up to him in every sense of the phrase yesterday, and the way he felt while making love to her was indescribable. It was sunlight and darkness, pain and pleasure, happiness and sadness.

Sora wasn't experienced, but Kairi had been patient, beautiful, and after a while it didn't matter how many people she'd been with or how many people he hadn't. He was in love, and making love to her became as natural as breathing after the initial nerves had subsided.

It almost felt like they had been doing this together for ages; they moved in perfect tandem.

Without opening his eyes, Sora stretched his arm over to where Kairi should be asleep, aching to touch her again, but felt nothing. He cracked an eye open to his sun brightened bedroom. She wasn't there, but that wasn't unusual. There were a few times throughout the week where she had gotten up before him.

Yawning and stretching, a few joints popped as he smoothly rolled out of bed. When he entered the living room, he also found that empty. Sora knew the bathroom was empty too, because he had glanced over across the hall at the dark, tiled room through the ajar door when he left his bedroom.

He went to his front door and he noticed the dead bolt wasn't engaged, which was odd because he knew he'd locked it himself last night. The turn lock on the knob was in position, though, but that could be done on the way out. He unlocked it and quickly wrested his front door open. She wasn't on the patio, either.

Dread settled in Sora's gut as he realized the truth: Kairi wasn't here. She'd left.

Knees feeling suddenly like jelly, he wobbled back to his room where he crumpled back onto the bed, laying on his side. That's when he noticed it: a white piece of paper folded neatly atop his nightstand. He unfurled it: it turned out to be the Chinese takeout menu from when he'd picked up their dinner one night earlier in the week. Sora turned the page, realizing there was neat pen-written script on the blank backside of it.

_Sora,_

_Last night was wonderful. You were wonderful. Please don't think this is your fault or that you did something wrong. It shouldn't have happened, even though I've never wanted anything more my entire life more than I wanted you. I knew it wasn't just sex to you, and I knew I couldn't give you anything more, but I was selfish. I wanted to know what it was like to give myself to someone who loved me, just once, but I'll never be able to be part of your world. You're beautiful and good, and you deserve to be with someone who isn't carrying all the baggage that I am. You're the type of man who wants marriage, a family, and as much as I might want to, I'll never be able to give you any of that—not like you deserve. Leaving your bed and this dream is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I wanted to tell you all of this in person, but I knew if I looked you in the eyes, I wouldn't have the courage to go. I would have stayed until I woke up one morning and realized I was holding you back. It would be far more cruel to both of us if I waited for this to become more complicated than it already is. I hope you understand. Please meet someone who suits you, have gorgeous children with them, but most of all, be happy. I'll always remember you. Your smile, your lips, and the love we made last night... it's all burned into my memory. Thank you for showing me what it's like to feel treasured. Whatever you might doubt about this week, never doubt how much this meant to me—how much you will always mean to me._

_Love always,_

_Kairi_

Something wet hit the first 'i' of Kairi's name, smudging it, and there was a delayed moment of confusion before Sora realized it was a tear. His tear. He looked down at his lap and noticed something had fallen out of the folded letter without him knowing it.

It was four neatly folded fifty-dollar bills. Kairi had gone and she left the money. Sora felt numb from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, like he'd woken up from the best dream of his life that never had been allowed a proper conclusion—a happily ever after.

Kairi didn't think she was good for him, so she fled. Sora had been so sure he'd finally convinced her that they could make this work. She had initiated everything last night, but for once it had been because she  _wanted_  to be with him, not because she felt indebted to him.

Would Sora have slept with her if he knew she hadn't been planning to stay past today? He wasn't sure. The sex had been incredible—everything he always imagined and more, but that provided little comfort for him now. More than anything he wanted  _her_ , to be with her in a real relationship. No deals, no dark past holding her back from allowing herself to be happy with him. Just _them_.

No, Sora wouldn't have traded his night with her for anything. He felt the same as she did: if he would never see her again, at least he had the memory of what it was like to be with her. As much as a big part of him wanted to wait until they had known each other longer than a week and were mutually committed to one another, he couldn't bring himself to regret.

But it felt like she'd ripped out a piece of him and taken it with her. Heartbroken, his face dropped into his hands and he quietly cried like he was a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Sora and Kairi's relationship developed in ways I didn't expect towards the end, I decided to have them sleep together. I was originally never going to have them cross that line out of respect for Kairi and the abuse she suffered with her adoptive dad and the man that introduced her to prostitution, but that's precisely why I ended up changing my mind. The idea for the letter came at that point and I actually wrote that before the rest of the chapter. Weirdly enough, I actually cried a little while writing Kairi's goodbye. I have NEVER gotten emotional while writing anything in my life, and I've been writing for half my life at this point, so that was a unique experience for me. One more short chapter to go, folks! Thanks for reading and I hope the cliffie didn't make you too upset, haha.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's tries to sort through his emotions on his first day back from vacation after Kairi's abrupt exit from his life.

Sora still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she was gone. In that first half of that week, the thought occupied his mind constantly, but after they started truly making a connection, it had all but disappeared. He hadn't thought about the 200 that had sat on his dresser for days, her slipping away in the middle of the night, or saying the wrong thing constantly.

From the first time she'd kissed him to the moment he fell asleep Sunday night, he became completely oblivious to everything but how she made him feel.

Sora dressed in his uniform like he did every weekday, but this time it was different. His skin still burned everywhere she'd touched him last night, a fresh reminder of everything he'd gained and lost in the span of a week.

If he hadn't been coming off the heels of week-long vacation, he would have taken the day off to get himself together, to drive around town until he found her.

But that hadn't been their agreement, had it? He promised he would let her go anytime she wanted to leave, so no matter how much things had changed since he'd told her that Monday morning, he would respect her wishes. Besides, Kairi knew these streets; she could simply retreat back into the shadows and he would probably never find her if she didn't want to be found.

Sora was a walking, breathing open wound—but he also was also angry, hurt, and more than anything he didn't want to let her go like the past week together had meant nothing. He was at a loss. Kairi had blindsided him. He'd gotten complacent in what they had become and hadn't stopped to ask about where her head was at.

Sora had been selfish. Maybe this was his price to pay for being so sure she reciprocated his feelings without making certain. In her letter, she said she never wanted him to doubt how much this week and he had meant to her… So perhaps a part of her did feel the same way he did, but she was convinced her past would destroy them.

Damn it, why couldn't she just let herself be happy? And if she didn't want him, why didn't she tell him before—

Sora stopped that chain of thought. It wasn't fair to blame Kairi. He knew falling for her was a risk, and while he couldn't have stopped it from happening, maybe he could have kept his expectations in check. But he hadn't, and that wasn't her fault.

The brunette had gone about his mourning routine in a haze of grief. Before he knew it, he was locking his front door and turning over the engine in his hatchback, speeding off to work like it was a Monday morning like any other.

* * *

 

Sora went about his duties in a mechanical trance. The campgrounds stayed peaceful and quiet for the most part, especially during the fall on a weekday when no holidays were impending. The only people who camped at this time of the year were enthusiasts who knew full well what the rules and expectations were. The only folks who really caused trouble were teenagers and homeless junkies looking for a quiet place to take a hit, but those were few and far in-between.

There was something cathartic about being so close to nature. That was what Sora enjoyed most about his job. The browns and oranges of the dead warm weather trees that littered the grounds, the crisp quality to the autumn air—he loved it. It usually cleared his head to be out here, but the attempt to get Kairi out of his head had been futile all morning.

Sora had always prided himself on his ability to keep his personal life out of his job. It was a little bit easier since the rangers covered the forest in quadrants, meaning he worked alone mostly, but the pall over his spirit was definitely weighing him down.

The brunette shifted the collar of his jacket, pocketing his hand within his khaki pants as his boots crunched the dead foliage on his walk around his usual patrol area.

When afternoon rolled around, the bright sun came from behind the clouds and warmed the nip in the air. Sora figured it was as good a time as any to take his lunch. He radioed the others and let them know, beginning his trek to the Rangers' headquarters.

* * *

 

Sora, for the first time in all of the countless lunch breaks he'd taken, wasn't feeling particularly hungry. He sat at the large table in the canteen area, gulping down a bottle of cold water and glaring at the wood grain of the heavy tabletop.

The Head Ranger came walking out from his office, eating a sandwich.

"Hey, Sora, good to have you back. How was your vacation? We missed ya."

Ranger Axel was tall with wild and long bright red hair. So much different from Kairi's dark cranberry.

Sora turned the small plastic cap of his water bottle between his index finger and thumb. What could he say? Until this morning it had been the best week of his life. He obviously couldn't tell Axel any of it. Just planning it in his mind was laughable.

" _Oh, it was great. I invited a prostitute to come live with me for a week and I fell in love with her like the biggest idiot on the planet. Even convinced myself she loved me too, before she stabbed me through the heart and left."_

The brunette did his best not to let his desperate unhappiness bleed onto his face. "It was… good. Slept and watched television all day. Did a couple house projects."

Axel clapped him on the back. "You sure? You've kinda been looking like a zombie all morning. The opposite of relaxed."

What Kairi had told him all week played over in his head. Even if he tried to lie with his mouth, his body language always gave him away. Great in the context she'd meant it, not so great at work.

"I'm fine, Axel. Just got spoiled from all the rest I got last week, that's all."

The other man didn't look like he was completely convinced but dropped the subject.

* * *

 

After lunch Sora used one of their all-terrain vehicles to access some farther out areas Axel had asked him to take a look at. There was nothing major; some inconsiderate campers must have left their mess from breakfast, because there was a heap of garbage near where the grass had been pressed into the dirt from a heavy tent.

Sora was tidying up when his pocket buzzed. It was a message from Riku:

**Hey, Sor. Finally got that crib. I know it's your first day back to work, but Nam insists it needs to go up today. Could really use a big, hunky guy to help me out.**

Sora almost laughed. Almost. Even when he had no clue he was doing anything, Riku knew how to help him keep his feet on the ground.

Truthfully, Sora was glad for the excuse to go over there. What Namine had said to him before he and Kairi had left dinner at their apartment Friday night made remember that he would have to break the news to them, too. He'd probably have to tell Namine the whole story, and while he wasn't looking forward to that, at least she maybe wouldn't be as disappointed in him if he helped with the nursery.

 _ **i'll come over straight after work.**_ Sora replied

* * *

 

Sora had had almost started feeling better by the time he left work, but as he was driving across town to Namine and Riku's apartment building, he passed by the street that intersected the one with the movie theater. The same one he saw Kairi walking down in the middle of the night over a week ago.

He almost wanted to park on the curb and wander the streets, hoping to see her. Would she totally change her usual haunts on this side of town to avoid him? A hundred thoughts wandered through his mind. He'd done a relatively good job of not wallowing after the initial blow of her leaving that morning, but now that he was in the quiet of his little hatchback driving past the place where they met, he broke down again. A dozen things he could have done differently or not at all plagued his thoughts. Maybe he should have never been so harsh to her that night he slung the chair against the wall, and maybe he should have never pressed her about her past.

Most importantly, maybe he should have kept his heart more in check, willed it not to reach for more than what Kairi was willing to give. Sora was positive he couldn't have stopped himself for falling for her—that had been as effortless and out of his control as the breath he pulled into his lungs every second of every day. Kairi had seemed happy enough with the amorous direction their relationship had taken those last few days, but he should have known better after everything she'd been through.

She'd told him not to blame himself in that damned letter, but what else was he supposed to do?

Sora hunched over the wheel, trying to refocus his attention on driving as his chest tightened.

* * *

 

He knocked on the familiar apartment door three times before Riku answered and ushered him inside.

Namine was waddling around the living room when he stepped past the threshold. She had seemed especially taken by Kairi—telling her would be the most difficult. Sora's mind went into overdrive trying to think of the best way to bring up the subject.

The blond smiled at him and the corners of Sora's lips upturned as well as he could manage given the day he'd had, crossing the room to sweep her into a gentle hug.

"How was the first day back?"

There came the weight on his chest again. Then might have been a good entry point into the uncomfortable conversation, but he didn't want it to be the first thing they spoke about. Maybe after they set up the crib in the nursery.

"It was fine. Work is work."

Namine clicked her tongue. "It can be hard getting back to reality after a week like you had."

Sora cocked his head to the side. She'd said it so earnestly and gently it caught him off guard. He wasn't sure if she realized how on the nose she was.

Riku suddenly clapped him on the back, shattering the pensive moment.

"C'mon. We can talk later. Let's hurry up and put this crib together. The box is in the nursery room already."

Sora nodded and walked down the hall. He made for the door on the right that was destined to be the baby's room. It was ajar and he pushed it open all the way.

But Sora didn't see a large box with crib parts in there like he expected. He saw something—or rather someone—else entirely.

"Sora." was the single word spoken, and it hadn't come from him or the other two with him.

"Shit." Sora breathed intelligently.

Standing there, hands clasped in front of her, was Kairi.

Sora winced as a smack landed against his arm, Namine being the culprit.

"After everything that happened between you two,  _that_  is the first word out of your mouth when you see her?!"

Sora barely registered what Namine had said, his attention instead glued to the red-haired woman in front of him. Kairi looked so beautiful and conflicted, keeping mouse quiet. If Namine hadn't have hit him, he was certain he would have crossed the room to hold her and never let go.

What Namine said struck him. What did she know about the week they'd spent together, apart from the one night they'd come over for dinner?

"I told them everything." Kairi confessed in a tight voice, reading his mind.

"B-but… h-how…? This morning, you…" Sora was having trouble vocalizing a proper thought.

"I found her this afternoon on my lunch hour near the city complex." Sora heard Riku explain from somewhere behind him. "Took some convincing but I managed to get her to agree to come back here with Namine until I got home."

Sora felt his blood get hot inside his veins, realizing the implication. He turned away from Kairi and focused on his longtime friend. "You've had her with you since  _lunch time_  and didn't bother telling me?"

Riku leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and opened his mouth to reply but Kairi beat him to the punch.

"I asked him not to tell you. It's not Riku's fault. If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me."

Namine tugged at the sleeve of her husband's shirt. "Let's go back to the kitchen, 'Ku. You can cut me a slice of the leftover pie from dessert last night."

Riku nodded quietly and the pair left the room to give Sora and Kairi some space, gently pulling the door closed behind them.

Sora looked back at Kairi. "Why did you have him lie to me?"

Kairi sat down heavily on an old, large plastic storage container that had 'Namine's baby stuff' scrawled across a yellowed piece of heavy duty tape. Sora took the seat beside her.

"It was your first day back. I was scared if he told you the truth, you'd immediately come to get me, and I wanted time to think."

Sora licked his lips. "You still don't want to be with me." It wasn't a question. The observation droned soft and sad. "You should have just told me, Kai. It would have hurt, but I would have understood."

Kairi's head snapped over to him. "Not wanting to be with you never had anything to do with it! Did you not read my letter?"

Sora felt his resolve to have a conversation wane the longer he looked into her deep and pained blue-violet eyes. She looked oh so very kissable in that moment, but he needed to focus, so he looked away from her and to the carpeted floor.

"Yeah I read it. 'It wasn't my fault, you had a good time with me but you didn't want to hold me back'." he paraphrased shakily, bitterly. "Complete bullshit."

Kairi soundlessly mouthed the last word he said, moisture brimming behind her long eyelashes.

Sora's stomach dropped at the sight of her crying, and he cupped her face in his hands. She tried not to meet his gaze, hurt.

"Kairi please. Look at me."

She tried to make her face as stony as possible to hide the fact that she was crying, but her trembling full bottom lip gave her away. "Why? So you can tell me again how my feelings are bullshit?"

Sora used his thumb to wipe away the small tear as it squeezed out the corner of her right eye. "No, your feelings aren't. You telling me that I need to move on with someone else to be happy is bullshit."

Kairi chewed on her bottom lip. "B-but last night… You weren't just fooling around. I could feel it. You want more."

"No, I want  _you_ , but just because you don't feel the same doesn't mean I don't still want to help you. You didn't have to leave."

Kairi's voice got thin and quiet. "You know, right before Riku found me, I tried to find someone."

Sora thought it seemed like an out-of-the-blue subject change, one he wanted no part of. Selfish and unreasonable as it might have been, the thought of someone else touching her like he had made him sick, especially with someone who didn't really care about her. "Kairi, I don't want to know—"

But she continued on anyway. "I saw a guy I've dealt with before—he's one of the kinder ones, maybe just lonely. I don't know his story or why he feels the need to use prostitutes, but I know he works the graveyard shift, so he's usually a pretty safe bet in the afternoon to make money. I saw him, leaving that diner downtown. It was nearly a guaranteed safe way to afford food for the next couple days, maybe a cheap room for the night. I crossed the street and went towards him, but..."

A choked off sob stilted what Kairi was saying. Sora exhaled sharply as her emotional overload rolled onto him, breaking his own calm.

She stopped trying to keep her cool, letting him see the heavy tears roll down her cheeks.

"I-I… just couldn't." she fisted the ratty lavender dress that draped across her upper thigh, the same one he had found her in that night. She'd left everything with him. Everything Namine had given her, every shirt and pair of sweatpants of his that she'd ever worn.

Kairi had wormed out of his arms, his bed, put on that dress and oversized jacket and left.

"I thought about him on top of me, groaning, and…" she continued, sucking in another breath. "I just kept seeing your face, how sweet you looked while you slept last night, and suddenly letting some bored CPA or sweaty stranger touch me made me want to vomit."

As soon as Kairi was done speaking Sora couldn't keep his distance any longer. He kissed her tenderly to still her trembling lips. There was no tongue, no heat, just the two of them—the kiss wet and salty from her tears.

"Kairi…" he broke the kiss to pull her into a hug, pressing his cheek against her damp one. God, he hated seeing her cry, but there was a part of him that reveled in the fact that last night meant as much to her as it had to him.

Her arms wound around his shoulders, grasping the lapels of his uniform. She sniffed loudly, hiccupping. "When Riku stopped me, I knew I had one more chance to apologize and say goodbye the right way."

Sora pulled away from her, squaring his jaw. "Goodbye?"

Kairi nodded sadly. "I told you a week off the streets would change too much for me. It's kinda hard to sell your body when the thought of sex with strangers makes you ill, isn't it? Maybe I'll go to one of the women's shelters in town, try to get a regular job, or…"

Sora scoffed, pushing off from his seat beside her. Why was she so stubborn? Did she enjoy torturing him?

"So you have Riku lie to get me here, just to tell me  _you're sorry_  in person and leave again? That's fucked, Kairi."

Kairi's partially dry eyes became glassy again. "Sora, please…"

Sora was seething but knew he couldn't let a repeat of the incident in his kitchen last week happen. He carded both hands through his wild chocolate spikes, trying to channel his frustration. " _Please_  what?! Forgive you for leaving while I slept? Fine, it's done. Our deal was that you could leave whenever you wanted. But coming here now just to do it again? That's cruel, Kairi. Coming back home with me really so terrible that you'd rather live in a shelter with strangers?"

Kairi fidgeted. "Sora, I told you, I—"

"You don't want to be with me like that. I know. I'll get a bed for the guest room and sleep in there. Or _you_ can sleep in there. Whatever you want. If we can't be together like we were, then at least let me still help you."

Kairi wrung her hands in her lap, her nervous tell. "I can't, Sora…"

"Why not?" he demanded. "You said in that damn letter how much I meant to you, how great last night was. So why would it be so hard to just dial it back a bit? Let me be there for you, let me be your friend."

Kairi suddenly snapped her head up to glare at him. "I can't be just your  _friend_ , Sora. You can't tell me you love me after the kind of sex we had and expect me to be able to live with you like there's nothing between us!"

Sora felt the anger funnel from his body. "You... heard me? You were so quiet I thought you'd fallen asleep."

"I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I care about you too, and that's exactly why I can't be with you. I told you—I have too much weighing me down. It'll weigh you down too and destroy us. You might think you want to be with me now, but you'll regret it eventually."

Sora walked back to her, kneeling on the floor at her feet. "Don't you think I should be the one to decide whether it's worth the risk or not? I want this, and I know you want it too. Come home with me, please."

Kairi chewed her bottom lip. "We'd have to be equals. I'd get a job and earn my keep."

Sora shook his head. "No earning your keep. Save what you make and put it toward school expenses."

Indigo eyes sparkled at him. "Sora, I don't…"

"You _can_ do it." Sora urged her, knowing what she was about to say. "It was your dream, right? Namine was actually in the visual arts program at that art school you moved here to attend. Maybe she could help with the practical stuff I can't."

He watched her, a dozen different emotions flitting across her face.

"This will never be easy." she warned him. "I'll always have my past, Sora. I don't want every argument or fight to be an excuse for you to remind me that I'm a whore and that I should be grateful to you for rescuing me from that life."

Sora kissed the corner of her mouth. "Never. And if I ever do, make sure to remind me about my pencil dick."

Kairi couldn't contain the bubble of laughter that rumbled from her chest suddenly at the unexpected joke. She returned the kiss, her mirth making his heart feel full.

"You have about the opposite of a pencil dick." she mumbled against his lips.

"And you're not a whore."

Her laugh died down and she pulled away from him for a moment, opening her mouth to rebut, but he swallowed her protests with yet another kiss.

 _No arguing_ , Sora told her without saying a word. He knew she technically _had_ been a whore, but he hated hearing her call herself one. In the time he'd known her, she'd only slept with him, and she hadn't whored herself - he'd made love to her. So as far as Sora was concerned, she was just Kairi.

Kairi's lips were warm and soft and he didn't want to ever part from them, but he eventually did. He felt her fingers thread through the hair on his nape when they broke away from each other. His heart was pounding like a kettle drum as he rested his chin against her thin shoulder.

"So is that a yes?"

* * *

 

Turns out Riku really would need help assembling a crib, just not that day. He asked Sora to come over tomorrow after he picked it up from the furniture store, and Sora agreed. Several minutes later the brunette was driving back across town to his little cul de sac. He stayed more or less focused on the road in front of him until he felt a warm hand on his thigh. 

Sora opened his right hand palm side up as it rested against his leg, left hand maneuvering the steering wheel. He felt the other hand lace its fingers through his.

He glanced over to the beauty with dark, crimson hair beside him and smiled. She looked pensive in return, gentle fingers tracing the lines of his hand like a palm reader would.

"Now what?" Kairi asked him softly.

"Mm." Sora pondered for a moment. "First, I'd like spaghetti, then I'm thinking a nice bubble bath."

He knew full well that wasn't what she meant and he reveled in the cute way she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm serious, Sora."

"I am too. We take things one day at a time. We do our best to make this work and when things get difficult, we talk about it."

"You make it sound so simple." Kairi settled farther into the passenger seat.

"It won't be, not by a longshot." he admitted. "But for this - you and me - it'll be worth it, don't you think?"

Kairi lifted his hand to her face, pressing her cheek into his palm. "I do. I want this, Sora. All of it. I want to try."

Sora needed no further assurance from her. She made him feel warm and wanted; it didn't matter if she was ready to talk about love at that exact moment or not. He couldn't make the last four years of pain and unhappiness disappear, but he could try to make it hurt a little less everyday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a passion project of mine. I feel like a very niche group followed this story and I'm so thankful for everyone who may have derived enjoyment from this little AU. Leave me with any thoughts/comments/observations you have on how this wrapped up. Thank you so much for making it all the way to the end.


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